Paul Graham's Essays
2026 · 5
2025 · 4
2024 · 7
2023 · 3
2022 · 6
2021 · 13
- Is There Such a Thing as Good Taste?Nov 2021 · 6 min
- Beyond SmartOct 2021 · 6 min
- Weird LanguagesAug 2021 · 2 min
- A Project of One's OwnJun 2021 · 11 min
- How to Work HardJun 2021 · 14 min
- An NFT That Saves LivesMay 2021 · 2 min
- Crazy New IdeasMay 2021 · 6 min
- Fierce NerdsMay 2021 · 6 min
- How People Get Rich NowApr 2021 · 10 min
- The Real Reason to End the Death PenaltyApr 2021 · 4 min
- Donate UnrestrictedMar 2021 · 3 min
- Write SimplyMar 2021 · 3 min
- What I Worked OnFeb 2021 · 63 min
2020 · 12
- Billionaires BuildDec 2020 · 17 min
- EarnestnessDec 2020 · 7 min
- The AirbnbsDec 2020 · 6 min
- How to Think for YourselfNov 2020 · 14 min
- Early WorkOct 2020 · 11 min
- Modeling a Wealth TaxAug 2020 · 3 min
- Orthodox PrivilegeJul 2020 · 3 min
- The Four Quadrants of ConformismJul 2020 · 9 min
- Coronavirus and CredibilityApr 2020 · 2 min
- How to Write UsefullyFeb 2020 · 15 min
- Being a NoobJan 2020 · 2 min
- HatersJan 2020 · 6 min
2019 · 6
2017 · 3
2016 · 5
2015 · 10
- Jessica LivingstonNov 2015 · 9 min
- A Way to Detect BiasOct 2015 · 3 min
- Default Alive or Default Dead?Oct 2015 · 7 min
- Write Like You TalkOct 2015 · 4 min
- Change Your NameAug 2015 · 4 min
- Why It's Safe for Founders to Be NiceAug 2015 · 3 min
- What Microsoft Is this the Altair Basic of?Feb 2015 · 2 min
- Don't Talk to Corp DevJan 2015 · 6 min
- The Ronco PrincipleJan 2015 · 3 min
- What Doesn't Seem Like Work?Jan 2015 · 3 min
2014 · 6
2013 · 5
2012 · 12
- How to Get Startup IdeasNov 2012 · 31 min
- The Hardware RenaissanceOct 2012 · 2 min
- Black Swan FarmingSep 2012 · 8 min
- Startup = GrowthSep 2012 · 22 min
- The Top of My Todo ListApr 2012 · 2 min
- Defining PropertyMar 2012 · 5 min
- Frighteningly Ambitious Startup IdeasMar 2012 · 18 min
- How Y Combinator StartedMar 2012 · 8 min
- Writing and SpeakingMar 2012 · 5 min
- A Word to the ResourcefulJan 2012 · 3 min
- Schlep BlindnessJan 2012 · 5 min
- Snapshot: Viaweb, June 1998Jan 2012 · 5 min
2011 · 3
2010 · 12
- Founder ControlDec 2010 · 4 min
- TabletsDec 2010 · 3 min
- The New Funding LandscapeOct 2010 · 16 min
- What We Look for in FoundersOct 2010 · 4 min
- Where to See Silicon ValleyOct 2010 · 5 min
- High Resolution FundraisingSep 2010 · 4 min
- The Future of Startup FundingAug 2010 · 16 min
- What Happened to YahooAug 2010 · 10 min
- How to Lose Time and MoneyJul 2010 · 4 min
- The Acceleration of AddictivenessJul 2010 · 5 min
- The Top Idea in Your MindJul 2010 · 6 min
- Organic Startup IdeasApr 2010 · 5 min
2009 · 21
- Apple's MistakeNov 2009 · 10 min
- What Startups Are Really LikeOct 2009 · 25 min
- Persuade xor DiscoverSep 2009 · 6 min
- Post-Medium PublishingSep 2009 · 8 min
- The Anatomy of DeterminationSep 2009 · 7 min
- The List of N ThingsSep 2009 · 7 min
- What Kate Saw in Silicon ValleyAug 2009 · 5 min
- Maker's Schedule, Manager's ScheduleJul 2009 · 6 min
- Ramen ProfitableJul 2009 · 8 min
- The Trouble with the SegwayJul 2009 · 2 min
- A Local Revolution?Apr 2009 · 6 min
- Five FoundersApr 2009 · 4 min
- The Founder VisaApr 2009 · 2 min
- Why Twitter is a Big DealApr 2009 · 1 min
- How to Be an Angel InvestorMar 2009 · 15 min
- Relentlessly ResourcefulMar 2009 · 4 min
- Why TV LostMar 2009 · 7 min
- Can You Buy a Silicon Valley? Maybe.Feb 2009 · 9 min
- Keep Your Identity SmallFeb 2009 · 4 min
- Startups in 13 SentencesFeb 2009 · 7 min
- What I've Learned from Hacker NewsFeb 2009 · 12 min
2008 · 18
- After CredentialsDec 2008 · 12 min
- Could VC be a Casualty of the Recession?Dec 2008 · 7 min
- The High-Res SocietyDec 2008 · 7 min
- The Other Half of "Artists Ship"Nov 2008 · 7 min
- Why to Start a Startup in a Bad EconomyOct 2008 · 6 min
- A Fundraising Survival GuideAug 2008 · 23 min
- The Pooled-Risk Company Management CompanyJul 2008 · 7 min
- Cities and AmbitionMay 2008 · 16 min
- Disconnecting DistractionMay 2008 · 6 min
- Lies We Tell KidsMay 2008 · 23 min
- Be GoodApr 2008 · 14 min
- Some HeroesApr 2008 · 14 min
- Why There Aren't More GooglesApr 2008 · 7 min
- A New Venture AnimalMar 2008 · 10 min
- How to DisagreeMar 2008 · 8 min
- You Weren't Meant to Have a BossMar 2008 · 12 min
- Six Principles for Making New ThingsFeb 2008 · 6 min
- TrollsFeb 2008 · 5 min
2007 · 15
- The Future of Web StartupsOct 2007 · 17 min
- Why to Move to a Startup HubOct 2007 · 7 min
- How to Do PhilosophySep 2007 · 19 min
- News from the FrontSep 2007 · 10 min
- Holding a Program in One's HeadAug 2007 · 10 min
- How Not to DieAug 2007 · 10 min
- StuffJul 2007 · 7 min
- The Equity EquationJul 2007 · 6 min
- An Alternative Theory of UnionsMay 2007 · 3 min
- Microsoft is DeadApr 2007 · 6 min
- The Hacker's Guide to InvestorsApr 2007 · 31 min
- Two Kinds of JudgementApr 2007 · 4 min
- Why to Not Not Start a StartupMar 2007 · 31 min
- Is It Worth Being Wise?Feb 2007 · 15 min
- Learning from FoundersJan 2007 · 4 min
2006 · 15
- How Art Can Be GoodDec 2006 · 16 min
- A Student's Guide to StartupsOct 2006 · 31 min
- The 18 Mistakes That Kill StartupsOct 2006 · 25 min
- How to Present to InvestorsAug 2006 · 15 min
- Copy What You LikeJul 2006 · 5 min
- The Island TestJul 2006 · 4 min
- The Power of the MarginalJun 2006 · 29 min
- How to Be Silicon ValleyMay 2006 · 17 min
- Why Startups Condense in AmericaMay 2006 · 22 min
- See RandomnessApr 2006 · 3 min
- The Hardest Lessons for Startups to LearnApr 2006 · 23 min
- 6,631,372Mar 2006 · 4 min
- Are Software Patents Evil?Mar 2006 · 22 min
- Why YCMar 2006 · 2 min
- How to Do What You LoveJan 2006 · 22 min
2005 · 18
- Good and Bad ProcrastinationDec 2005 · 9 min
- How to Fund a StartupNov 2005 · 41 min
- The Venture Capital SqueezeNov 2005 · 8 min
- Web 2.0Nov 2005 · 16 min
- Ideas for StartupsOct 2005 · 20 min
- What I Did this SummerOct 2005 · 13 min
- After the LadderAug 2005 · 3 min
- Inequality and RiskAug 2005 · 13 min
- What Business Can Learn from Open SourceAug 2005 · 21 min
- Hiring is ObsoleteMay 2005 · 24 min
- The SubmarineApr 2005 · 11 min
- Why Smart People Have Bad IdeasApr 2005 · 15 min
- A Unified Theory of VC SuckageMar 2005 · 7 min
- How to Start a StartupMar 2005 · 47 min
- Return of the MacMar 2005 · 5 min
- UndergraduationMar 2005 · 16 min
- Writing, BrieflyMar 2005 · 3 min
- What You'll Wish You'd KnownJan 2005 · 21 min
2004 · 12
- Bradley's GhostNov 2004 · 4 min
- It's Charisma, StupidNov 2004 · 7 min
- Made in USANov 2004 · 9 min
- A Version 1.0Oct 2004 · 21 min
- The Age of the EssaySep 2004 · 21 min
- What the Bubble Got RightSep 2004 · 18 min
- The Python ParadoxAug 2004 · 3 min
- Great HackersJul 2004 · 25 min
- How to Make WealthMay 2004 · 40 min
- Mind the GapMay 2004 · 21 min
- The Word "Hacker"Apr 2004 · 10 min
- What You Can't SayJan 2004 · 27 min
2003 · 7
2002 · 4
2001 · 8
- What Made Lisp DifferentDec 2001 · 4 min
- The Other Road AheadSep 2001 · 54 min
- Being PopularMay 2001 · 37 min
- Five Questions about Language DesignMay 2001 · 15 min
- The Roots of LispMay 2001 · 2 min
- Beating the AveragesApr 2001 · 21 min
- Java's CoverApr 2001 · 7 min
- Lisp for Web-Based ApplicationsApr 2001 · 1 min