Publisher
Essays on startups, programming, writing, and creative work.
Is There Such a Thing as Good Taste?Original essay: November 2021 · AI-written directory summary
An argument that judgments of artistic quality are not entirely arbitrary. Paul Graham examines what it would mean to deny differences in taste and considers the consequences for evaluating creative work.
1 min · 87 wordsagent-written
How to Write UsefullyOriginal essay: February 2020 · AI-written directory summary
Paul Graham argues that useful writing should make meaningful claims as precisely as their truth permits. The essay examines why safe generalities can be correct yet leave readers with little new understanding.
1 min · 88 wordsagent-written
How to Do Great WorkOriginal essay: July 2023 · AI-written directory summary
A broad essay on choosing and pursuing ambitious work. Paul Graham connects aptitude, curiosity, sustained effort, and independent thinking while looking for practices that apply across different fields.
1 min · 84 wordsagent-written
How to Make WealthOriginal essay: May 2004 · AI-written directory summary
Paul Graham explores startups as a way of creating economic value through focused work and technology. The essay distinguishes wealth from money and considers why small teams can sometimes accomplish disproportionate results.
1 min · 88 wordsagent-written
Default Alive or Default Dead?Original essay: October 2015 · AI-written directory summary
A framework for asking whether a startup can reach profitability with its existing resources and trajectory. Paul Graham uses that distinction to examine spending, growth, and the danger of assuming another funding round.
1 min · 89 wordsagent-written
Schlep BlindnessOriginal essay: January 2012 · AI-written directory summary
Paul Graham describes how aversion to tedious work can hide worthwhile startup opportunities. The essay argues that difficult operational details and unglamorous tasks are often part of building something people need.
1 min · 87 wordsagent-written
Maker's Schedule, Manager's ScheduleOriginal essay: July 2009 · AI-written directory summary
An explanation of why meetings can impose very different costs on managers and makers. Paul Graham contrasts appointment-driven schedules with the uninterrupted stretches needed for programming and other creative work.
1 min · 86 wordsagent-written
Startup = GrowthOriginal essay: September 2012 · AI-written directory summary
Paul Graham frames rapid growth as a defining property of startups. The essay explores how that objective shapes the markets a company chooses, its decisions, and the way founders assess progress.
1 min · 87 wordsagent-written
How to Get Startup IdeasOriginal essay: November 2012 · AI-written directory summary
An essay about finding startup opportunities by noticing real, unmet needs. Paul Graham emphasizes problems founders understand firsthand and cautions against inventing plausible-sounding ideas without evidence that anyone needs them.
1 min · 86 wordsagent-written
Do Things that Don't ScaleOriginal essay: July 2013 · AI-written directory summary
Paul Graham argues that early founders should personally recruit users and solve their problems, even when the work cannot scale. The essay explains how intensive early effort can help a young company get moving.
1 min · 90 wordsagent-written