Gustaf Alstromer

Group Partner at Y Combinator

Group partner at Y Combinator who has worked with over 600 startups, formerly at Airbnb where he started the original growth team, and a driving force behind YC's increased focus on climate tech.

The Growth Architect The Operator

Dimension Profile

Strategic Vision 60%

Execution & Craft 55%

Data & Experimentation 35%

Growth & Distribution 70%

Team & Leadership 65%

User Empathy & Research 70%

Key Themes

what makes startups fail and succeed YC Office Hours and Group Office Hours founder motivation diversity Airbnb early culture and hiring accountability as growth mechanism product market fit through customer conversations

Episode Summary

Gustaf Alstromer shares insights from working with over 600 startups at YC and starting the original growth team at Airbnb. He reveals that the single most common reason startups fail is not talking to users, explains how YC Office Hours use the question 'What's holding you back from moving faster?' to crystallize priorities, and describes how Group Office Hours create accountability through peer pressure among competitive founders. He also reflects on what made early Airbnb culture uniquely special — hiring former founders who were genuinely excited to be there.

Leadership Principles

→ If I drill down what makes companies fail, it's quite simple — they don't talk to users, which means they don't find product market fit, and nothing else matters
→ The most magical question in Office Hours is 'What's holding you back from moving faster?' — not updates, not strategy, just what's slowing you down
→ Starting a company as a career step means you haven't understood what startups are — if successful, it's your entire career for 10 years

Notable Quotes

"If I drill down what makes companies fail, it's quite simple. They don't talk to users, which means they don't find product market fit. And if they don't find product market fit, nothing else really matters."
— On the single most common reason startups fail across 600+ companies

"What's holding you back from moving faster? We don't want to hear updates, we don't want to hear strategy questions. We want to understand what's slowing you down."
— On the core question asked in YC individual Office Hours

"Airbnb did not feel like a normal job. It felt more like a group of friends trying to do something together. Besides maybe one or two people, I haven't heard anybody say that they found something better."
— On why the early Airbnb culture was uniquely special

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