Why Doomers Are Wrong About AIIn this episode of Dalton + Michael, the two discuss why humanity will thrive with AI. The doom and gloom narrative gets a lot of attention but there is another way to look at it. Life is better than it was 100 years ago, and it will get even better. Discussion includes: why AI won't destroy civilization, the origins of the labs, removing meaningless work, why the labs are still hiring, and what founders can do to find a sense of meaning and purpose.
Dalton + Michael, July 29, 2026
Problems Money Can't SolveIn this episode of Dalton + Michael, the two discuss the problems that money won't solve for your startup. If it were easy to convert money in the bank into success, the opportunity for startups to exist vs incumbents wouldn't really exist. For context, Google has $126B in cash and cash equivalents on hand, and could of course sell additional stock or raise debt if they felt a need to.
Dalton + Michael, July 22, 2026
Cofounder RelationshipsIn this episode of Dalton + Michael, the two discuss one if the most important topics in the life of a startup founder: cofounder relationships.
Discussion includes: if you should even have a cofounder, how to disagree with your cofounder and have conflict without blowing up your company, how to know when to part ways and more. The most rewarding relationships in life aren't necessarily easy, but they are surely worth the effort it takes to maintain them.
Dalton + Michael, July 14, 2026
Dot Plots: How to Actually See What Your Users Are DoingOne of the biggest mistakes founders make is relying on aggregate user metrics instead of understanding how any individuals use their product. In this episode of Startup School, YC General Partner David Lieb walks through one of his favorite tools for better understanding your users, the dot plot. It's a simple two-dimensional grid that maps individual user activity over time and it can help separate signal from the noise in the early days of a startup. He'll cover why it gives founders a better sense of product health compared to aggregate metrics, what patterns to look for and real-world examples of how dot plots helped teams at Google Photos and PayPal.
David Lieb, July 09, 2026
How To Build A Successful Career In Tech: Where To Join, When To LeaveDalton and Michael dive into tactics for having a successful long-term career as an employee in tech industry. Timing matters, having a good sense for where the talent density is (and where it is moving to) is a great technique for deciding where to consider joining. Watch out for getting caught in a local maxima and focus on the long game.
Dalton + Michael, June 29, 2026
How to Get Your First 10 CustomersWhen most founders look for customers, they reach for cold email and automation tools. But your first 10 customers almost never come from a tool. They come from you, working your warm network and doing the unscalable things most people won't. In this episode of Startup School, YC Visiting Partner Max Kolysh breaks down the real tactics for getting those first 10 customers — where your buyer actually spends their time, why showing up in person wins, and why doing it yourself is your biggest advantage right now.
Max Kolysh, June 22, 2026
Pick One Idea and Go DeepMany founders get stuck trying to find the perfect startup idea before they commit. But the perfect idea doesn't exist in the abstract. The only way to find what works is to pick one, go deep, and get feedback from real customers. In this episode of Startup School, YC General Partner Jon Xu breaks down how to choose what to build, "burn the other boats," and go deep enough to practically run your customer's business— and why that depth is what surfaces the better idea underneath.
Jon Xu, June 17, 2026
How Startup Founders Actually Get Rich (Quick?)A lot of people think being a startup founder means getting trying to get rich quick, especially in the current AI boom. This is objectively not how it works, but in this episode of Dalton + Michael the two take the time to engage with the idea of how sometimes founders do get rich quickly, and what, if anything, can be learned from those examples. Hint: extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary circumstances.
Dalton + Michael, June 15, 2026
How to Build an AI-Native Services CompanySome of the biggest companies of the next decade won't be software businesses. They'll be services companies like insurance carriers, law firms, and tax practices rebuilt from scratch with AI doing most of the work.
In this episode of Startup School, YC Visiting Partner Charlie Warren walks through the playbook for building AI native services companies, covering how to pick a market with the right traits, why variance kills these businesses faster than anything else, and the P&L math that'll transform your business model.
Charlie Warren, June 03, 2026
How Startups Close Million Dollar DealsIn this episode of Dalton + Michael, they discuss how founders can approach selling six- and seven-figure deals, even when they have no personal experience with deals of that size. Many founders default to building self-service products because those are the kinds of products they are used to buying. But for many startup ideas, limiting yourself to self-service can cap the size of the opportunity. Dalton and Michael talk through what it takes to sell bigger contracts, how founders can learn enterprise sales, and why closing large customers may be more approachable than it seems.
Dalton + Michael, June 01, 2026
The AI Agent Economy Is HereWith the takeoff of OpenClaw and MoltBook, a new agent-driven economy is taking shape. In this episode of the Lightcone, the hosts take a look at the explosive growth of AI dev tools and whether the time has come for builders to make something agents want.
Garry Tan, February 21, 2026
The Startup Playbook for Hiring Your First Engineers and AEsMost founders think hiring is about interviewing. But it's actually about selling. David Paffenholz joins Harj Taggar to share how early-stage founders can find, pitch, and close top engineering and sales talent — from crafting better outreach to winning great hires from Big Tech — even when you're an unknown startup.
David Paffenholz, November 07, 2025
Building Cursor At 23, Taking On GitHub Copilot & Advice To Engineering StudentsMichael shares the lessons that came from years of failed projects with his co-founders, why he believes programming is still essential even as AI changes how we code, and how Cursor is taking on GitHub Copilot with the conviction that all of software development will flow through models
Michael Truell, June 17, 2025
Digital Superintelligence, Multiplanetary Life, How to Be UsefulElon shares the thinking that guided him — building from first principles, doing useful things, and the belief that we're in the middle of an intelligence big bang.
Elon Musk, June 16, 2025
Stop Innovating (On The Wrong Things)Startups need to innovate to succeed. But not all innovation is made equal and reinventing some common best practices could actually hinder your company. Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss the common innovation pitfalls founders should avoid so they can better focus on their product and their customers.
Dalton Caldwell, February 15, 2024
Secrets You Can Learn From Your CustomersMichael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell discuss how spending real time with your users can unlock insights and growth. Hear the stories of how Airbnb and Brex built billion-dollar companies by forging genuine connections with customers. Learn why having too much money and too many people can actually slow down learning. And discover how to accelerate insight into your product by making your users feel special. Successful startups don’t just build technology – they solve human problems. The key is listening to the people who really matter: your customers.
Dalton Caldwell, April 29, 2023
How To Earn Customers For LifeMichael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell reveal how startups can gain a competitive advantage by doing something deceptively simple. They share compelling stories of companies that built loyal relationships and achieved success by making personal connections with users. In contrast, they discuss the traps early-stage founders make by trying to emulate big tech. If you want to build a business that customers love and that thrives in the long run, this advice on why caring deeply about your customers is key.
Dalton Caldwell, March 03, 2023
Keys to successful co-founder relationshipsCatheryn Li built the YC co-founder matching platform. This discussion with YC Visiting Partner Divya Bhat covers the importance of having a co-founder, how to get and vet one, and how to build a successful working relationship with your co-founder.
Divya Bhat, January 12, 2023
The Secrets To Setting Smarter GoalsIf you're looking to maximize your startup's potential, start by setting the right goals. Michael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell provide tips and strategies for setting goals that will help keep you and your new business focused on success—plus provide examples of bad goals to avoid as a startup.
Dalton Caldwell, January 11, 2023
Most Important Lifestyle Habits Of Successful FoundersDalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss the best approaches to developing a healthy lifestyle that ultimately helps you run and grow a successful startup. Take care of yourselves out there.
Dalton Caldwell, July 22, 2022