Garry Tan is Out Of Office
Out of Office
YC rejections, resilience, and founder toughness
Garry discusses mass YC rejections, resilience as a founder trait, and using rejection as a filter and growth test.
In this episode of Out of Office, Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano joins Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan for a walk through his home turf: San Francisco. Garry reflects on growing up in the Bay Area, learning to code as a teenager, and how those early experiences led him from founder to investor to one of the most influential figures in tech. The conversation spans seed investing, Y Combinator’s evolving model, and why Garry believes abundance, resilience, and taste matter more than ever in the age of AI. They also dive into Garry’s outspoken involvement in San Francisco politics and his investment in shaping the city, from public safety and education to housing and self-driving cars, and what it really takes to move the needle locally. Michael gets to know the real Garry Tan as they check out some of his favorite local spots. Along the way, Garry opens up about faith, community, and why bringing people together offline has become central to his life.
Episode Chapters
00:00 Introduction to San Francisco's Tech Scene
01:04 Meeting Gary Tan: A Journey Through San Francisco
02:22 Gary's Early Days in Tech
04:09 The Impact of San Francisco on Tech Aspirations
06:16 Political Awakening and Local Involvement
18:38 Saunagate and Garry’s Personal Life
22:36 Relationship to Faith and Technology
30:32 Reflections and Future Aspirations
31:05 Rejection and Resilience in YC Applications
31:32 Handling Public Criticism and Rejection
32:13 The Journey of Building a Startup
34:06 Transition from Initialized to YC
35:59 YC's Investment Strategy and Success
37:52 Changes and Future of YC
49:32 Community Involvement and Local Impact
50:45 Future of San Francisco and Tech
52:40 Future of YC and Venture Capital
56:13 Personal Insights at the Bar
56:31 Conclusion and Farewell
Stay in touch:
Website: https://www.lsvp.com
X: https://x.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeed/
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Follow Michael:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michael.mignano
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mignano/
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Out of Office is produced by Lightspeed in partnership with Pod People.
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