Co-Founder at Y Combinator
While financial upside exists in the background, day-to-day founder motivation is almost entirely driven by an acute fear of failure, operational disaster, and public embarrassment. Founders focus intensely on keeping their systems running and preventing catastrophic breakdowns, often realizing they have built substantial equity value only years later.
This answer is part of a full interview with Paul Graham, Co-Founder at Y Combinator.
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