Paul Graham

Startups·Paul Graham

Programmer, essayist, and co-founder of Y Combinator. Previously co-founded Viaweb (acquired by Yahoo). Known for his influential essays on startups, programming, and independent thinking.

Influences & Inspirations

Based on primary sources — interviews, essays, and posts where Paul directly cited these thinkers as influences.

Leonardo da Vinci
Unmatched quality of work "when no one was looking"; multi-disciplinary excellence.
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Isaac Newton
Model for pursuing fundamental questions; Graham's "conscience" for ambitious work.
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Jane Austen
"Finest novelist"; prose so skillful "you don't even notice her."
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P.G. Wodehouse
Masterful stylist who "wrote exactly what he wanted," ignoring literary establishment.
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John McCarthy
Invented Lisp and AI; bridged mathematics and practical programming.
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Steve Jobs
"Shown the world how much more important taste is than they realized."
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Kenneth Clark
Nonfiction writer whose "brain throws off ideas almost too fast to grasp."
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Robert Morris
Exceptional intellectual integrity; "correct about how correct he is."
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Recommends

Who Paul thinks you should be reading.

Recommended By

Writers who vouch for Paul.

Patrick Collison

Key Works

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