- The speaker mentions the rise of remote startups and video conferencing startups during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Zoom had a headstart and advantage as they had been working on their technology for years before the pandemic.
- Starting a company from scratch after COVID-19 is not ideal as it is better to optimize for the post-COVID future.
- Founders should aim to get in early before a trend becomes popular, rather than jumping in at its peak.

How many remote startups and video conferencing startups did we see the second that COVID hit?

The thing that was so sad was like having to explain to people, Zoom was working for years before this moment so they could take advantage of this moment.

They have years headstart, technology start, all these advantages, not that they expected COVID would come, but they were in a prime position for it.

You starting from scratch after COVID comes, you're optimizing for something that probably happens post COVID, not something that's going to happen in the next 3 to 6, 9, 12 months.

And I think that oftentimes founders, you know, there are a lot of fads that way where a founder basically or people get in at the end and think that there's a lot to get When like the reality is that you want to get in before everyone thinks it's cool, not at the peak of everyone thinking it's cool.

Like the peak of everyone thinking it's cool is usually right before everything else is showing up.


Speaker 0: How many remote startups and video conferencing startups did we see the second that COVID hit? The thing that was so sad was like having to explain to people, Zoom was working for years before this moment so they could take advantage of this moment. They have years headstart, technology start, all these advantages, not that they expected COVID would come, but they were in a prime position for it. You starting from scratch after COVID comes, you're optimizing for something that probably happens post COVID, not something that's going to happen in the next 3 to 6, 9, 12 months. And I think that oftentimes founders, you know, there are a lot of fads that way where a founder basically or people get in at the end and think that there's a lot to get When like the reality is that you want to get in before everyone thinks it's cool, not at the peak of everyone thinking it's cool.

Like the peak of everyone thinking it's cool is usually right before everything else is showing up.

See all Y Combinator transcripts on Youtube

Don't get caught up in the current fads and "doing what's cool."