Patrick Collison explains why it sometimes make sense to quit

Patrick argues that it’s a bad idea to continue working on a company if you’re truly unhappy working on it:

“In startupdom, we really extol and uphold the virtues of determination at all costs, and that’s clearly not the right answer.”

He explains:

“If something is making you unhappy or if it just doesn’t seem like an especially promising avenue, or it’s not really working, you’re time has relatively high opportunity costs. You don’t get to start that many startups in your life, right?… Sometimes you should quit.”

Naval Ravikant gives similar advice:

“One thing I’ve learned myself the hard way, is that it is easier to tear down a company and restart it in Silicon Valley, than it is to constantly try to pivot or keep something alive. There’s very little stigma associated with capital loss or shutting down and restarting. And investors want to back entrepreneurs of experience. They know how difficult it is.”

Every successful startup has times where no rational person would’ve persisted, so it’s important to not give up just because you find yourself in a situation that seems impossible.

But if you hit a point where you’re genuinely unhappy, out of ideas, or don’t believe in what you’re building, it’s ok to quit and start over.

Full video: Y Combinator “Running Your Company by Patrick Collison“ (Oct 2018)