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Paul Graham: Out of 1,900 YC Startups, Competitors Killed Maybe One

By Paul Graham · Strategy · 1 min read

Founders panic about competitors. YC's data says they're terrified of the wrong thing entirely.

Key Points

YC's data from 1,900 companies: competitors killed maybe one
Most companies die from poor execution, not competition
Space is large. Focus on running your own race.

If they're better than you, they'll win. If not, you'll win. Just run as fast as you can.

The Data Is Clear

Y Combinator has funded over 1,900 companies. Paul Graham looked at the data. How many were killed by competitors?

1,900 companies. Competitors killed maybe one.

What Actually Kills Startups

Graham: What makes companies fail most of the time is poor execution by the founders.

All the time people come up and say — oh my God, there's another company in exactly my space, what should I do? It's like running the 100 meters and suddenly another runner appears. What should you do? Run as fast as you can. Just like you presumably were.

What kills startups? Bad execution. Not competition.

The Light Aircraft Rule

Small planes flying through clouds have the same protection against mid-air collisions that startups have against competitors. Space is large.

If another runner appears in the lane next to you, what do you do? Run faster. Same thing you were already doing.

Space is large. Just keep running.