John Coogan, a Y Combinator alumnus and co-founder of companies like Lucy and Soylent, is well-regarded in the tech and startup communities for his candid, practical, and actionable advice. His insights are primarily shared through his YouTube channel and podcasts, rather than in published books of quotes.

A Note on Sources

Most of John's wisdom is spread across hundreds of videos. The provided links will often be to a specific video where the topic is central, or to a YouTube search query on his channel for that topic, as he revisits these core ideas frequently.

Primary Sources:

I. On Startups & Entrepreneurship

This is John's core area of expertise. His advice is heavily influenced by his experiences at Y Combinator and building his own companies.

  1. Solve Your Own Problem.
    • Learning: The most durable and insightful startup ideas often come from a problem you personally experience. You are the initial expert user, which gives you a significant advantage.
    • Quote: "The best startup ideas often come from solving a problem that you personally have. For me, with Lucy, it was trying to quit nicotine. I was the target customer, so I knew the product I wanted to exist."
    • Source: Why I Started a Nicotine Company (The Lucy Story)
  2. Just Get Started (Bias for Action).
    • Learning: Over-planning is a form of procrastination. The most valuable thing you can do is start building and get feedback. Your first version will be flawed, and that's the point.
    • Quote: "Stop planning and just start building. Your first version will be terrible, and that's okay. The goal is to learn from the market, not to build the perfect product in a vacuum."
    • Source: How to Start a Startup (with no money)
  3. Talk to Your Users.
    • Learning: The answers to your most critical business questions (what to build, how to price, how to market) are not in your head; they are in your customers' heads.
    • Quote: "The YC mantra is 'Make something people want' and 'Talk to your users.' They sound simple, but 99% of startup failures come from failing at one of these two things."
    • Source: Search: "Talk to Users"
  4. The First Customer is the Hardest.
    • Learning: The effort required to get from zero to one customer is monumental compared to going from one to ten. This first step validates that someone is willing to pay for what you've built.
    • Quote: "Getting from zero to one customer is infinitely harder than getting from one to ten. That first person who gives you their credit card number is the most important milestone for an early-stage company."
    • Source: How to Get Your First 100 Customers
  5. Do Things That Don't Scale.
    • Learning: In the beginning, you must do manual, unscalable things to acquire and delight your first users. Manually onboard them, give them your cell number, and write them personal emails.
    • Quote: "People get obsessed with scalable acquisition channels. In the beginning, forget scale. Find your first 10 customers on Reddit, in forums, or at local meetups. The goal is learning, not massive growth."
    • Source: How to Get Your First 100 Customers
  6. The Stair-Step Method of Entrepreneurship.
    • Learning: Instead of trying a high-risk moonshot from day one, you can de-risk your entrepreneurial journey. Start with consulting, then build a productized service, then evolve that into a full-blown software product.
    • Quote: "Don't try to jump straight to building a massive SaaS company. Start by freelancing to pay the bills. Then build a tool to make your freelancing easier. Then sell that tool. That's the stair-step approach."
    • Source: The "Stair Step" Method For Starting a Business
  7. Co-Founder Dynamics are Everything.
    • Learning: A startup is like a marriage with no sex and high stress. Choosing the right co-founder and managing that relationship is more critical than your idea or market.
    • Quote: "Most startups don't die from competition; they die from co-founder conflict. Make sure you've worked with your co-founder on a stressful project before you start a company together."
    • Source: Search: "Co-founder"
  8. Fundraising is a Distraction, Not the Goal.
    • Learning: Raising money is a means to an end (building a business), not the goal itself. It's a massive distraction from what actually matters: building a product and talking to users.
    • Quote: "Founders celebrate raising a seed round, but all you've done is sell a piece of your company and add a new boss. The real work starts now. Revenue is the best funding."
    • Source: How to Raise a Seed Round
  9. Default Alive vs. Default Dead.
    • Learning: You need to know your burn rate and runway. Are you "default alive" (profitable with current revenue) or "default dead" (will run out of money if you don't raise more or grow revenue)?
    • Quote: "The single most important question for a funded startup is: 'Are you default alive or default dead?' If you're default dead, your only job is to fix that."
    • Source: The Other Side Podcast
  10. Most Startup Ideas Are Actually Small Businesses.
    • Learning: Not every idea needs to be a venture-scale, unicorn-or-bust company. It's perfectly fine—and often more desirable—to build a profitable small business that doesn't rely on VC funding.
    • Quote: "Venture capital is a specific tool for a specific type of business. Most ideas are better suited to be bootstrapped, profitable lifestyle businesses, and there's zero shame in that."
    • Source: Why I'm Not Building a "Venture Scale" Business

II. On Programming & Technical Skills

As a self-taught programmer who became a CTO, John's advice is focused on practicality and business value.

  1. Learn by Building Projects, Not Watching Tutorials.
    • Learning: "Tutorial hell" is where you watch endless tutorials but never build anything yourself. The only way to truly learn is to pick a project and struggle through building it.
    • Quote: "Stop watching tutorials. The only way to learn to code is to build something. Pick an idea—a clone of a simple app, a tool for yourself—and just start. Google every single step of the way."
    • Source: How I Would Learn To Code (If I Had To Start Over)
  2. Full-Stack is a Superpower for Founders.
    • Learning: Being able to handle both the front-end and back-end allows you to build and ship an entire product or feature by yourself, which is invaluable in the early stages.
    • Quote: "As a technical founder, being full-stack is a superpower. It removes dependencies and allows you to move at a speed that's impossible when you have to coordinate between front-end and back-end teams."
    • Source: The Fastest Way to Build a SaaS in 2024
  3. Choose Boring Technology.
    • Learning: Your goal is to build a business, not to experiment with the latest, hottest framework. Pick stable, well-documented technologies that let you build and ship quickly.
    • Quote: "Your technology choice is not a fashion statement. Pick something boring and stable like Rails, Laravel, or Django. You want to spend your time solving customer problems, not debugging a niche JavaScript framework."
    • Source: Stop Using The T3 Stack
  4. SQL is the Most Underrated Skill.
    • Learning: So many business questions can be answered by querying your own database. A deep understanding of SQL is one of the highest-leverage skills a technical person can have.
    • Quote: "Learn SQL. Seriously. It's the one skill that will never go out of style. Understanding your own data is the key to making good decisions."
    • Source: The Most Important Skill for a Tech Career
  5. Don't Prematurely Optimize.
    • Learning: Don't worry about scaling to millions of users when you have zero. Write simple, clear code first. You can optimize it later if and when you actually have a scaling problem.
    • Quote: "Your code doesn't need to be perfect, it needs to work. Write the simplest thing that could possibly work, ship it, and see if anyone cares."
    • Source: Search: "Premature Optimization"
  6. AI/LLMs are Tools for Leverage, Not Magic.
    • Learning: AI won't replace programmers, but programmers who use AI will replace those who don't. Use it as a powerful assistant to write boilerplate, debug code, and learn faster.
    • Quote: "I use ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot every single day. It's like having a junior developer paired with you at all times. It doesn't do the thinking for you, but it dramatically speeds up the execution."
    • Source: How I'm Using AI To Build My Next Company
  7. Understand the Whole Stack.
    • Learning: To be truly effective, you need to understand more than just your code. Learn about DNS, hosting, databases, and basic server administration.
    • Quote: "You don't need to be a DevOps expert, but you should know how to deploy your own application. Understanding how all the pieces fit together makes you a much better engineer."
    • Source: How I Would Learn To Code (If I Had To Start Over)
  8. Technical Debt is a Tool.
    • Learning: Technical debt isn't inherently evil. It's a loan you take out to ship faster. The key is to be conscious of the debt you're incurring and have a plan to pay it back later.
    • Quote: "Sometimes, the right decision is to write messy code to hit a deadline or test a feature. That's taking on technical debt. The problem isn't the debt itself, it's when you forget you took out the loan."
    • Source: The Other Side Podcast
  9. Code is a Liability.
    • Learning: Every line of code you write is something you have to maintain. The best code is often no code.
    • Quote: "Founders love to write code. But every new feature adds complexity and maintenance overhead. Before you build something, ask yourself: 'Can we solve this problem without writing any code?'"
    • Source: Search: "Code Liability"
  10. APIs are the Building Blocks of Modern Software.
    • Learning: Don't reinvent the wheel. Leverage third-party APIs for common tasks like payments (Stripe), email (SendGrid), or search (Algolia).
    • Quote: "Your job is to build the unique core of your business. For everything else, use an API. You can build an incredibly powerful application by just stitching together different services."
    • Source: The Fastest Way to Build a SaaS in 2024

III. On Career & Personal Growth

John often gives career advice that contrasts with the standard "climb the corporate ladder" path.

  1. Optimize for Learning, Especially Early On.
    • Learning: Your first few jobs should be chosen based on how much you'll learn, not how much you'll earn. The skills you gain will compound and lead to much higher earnings later.
    • Quote: "The best thing you can do for your career early on is to join a fast-growing startup. You'll be exposed to so much more, so much faster, than at a big, slow company."
    • Source: FAANG vs Startups: Where Should You Work?
  2. Create Your Own Luck (Increase Your Surface Area).
    • Learning: "Luck" often comes to those who put themselves in a position to get lucky. Build in public, share your work, write online, and connect with people.
    • Quote: "You increase your luck by increasing your surface area. Every time you post a video, write a blog post, or share a project on GitHub, you're creating a new opportunity for someone interesting to find you."
    • Source: General theme across his content.
  3. Side Projects are Your Career Rocket Fuel.
    • Learning: A portfolio of interesting side projects is more valuable than a perfect resume. It demonstrates passion, initiative, and real-world skills.
    • Quote: "My entire career is built on side projects. One side project got me a job at Google. Another side project became Soylent. Your side project could become your next job or your next company."
    • Source: How Side Projects Changed My Life
  4. Impostor Syndrome is a Good Sign.
    • Learning: Feeling like an impostor means you're pushing yourself into challenging situations where you can grow. If you feel 100% comfortable, you're probably stagnating.
    • Quote: "If you don't feel like an impostor, you're in the wrong room. That feeling is a signal that you are leveling up."
    • Source: Search: "Impostor Syndrome"
  5. Become a "T-Shaped" Person.
    • Learning: Develop a deep expertise in one area (the vertical bar of the "T") but also have a broad knowledge across many other areas (the horizontal bar). This makes you incredibly versatile.
    • Quote: "Be an expert in one thing—for me it was backend engineering—but be dangerous in a lot of other things: front-end, marketing, sales, design. That's what makes you valuable at a startup."
    • Source: FAANG vs Startups: Where Should You Work?
  6. Your Job is Not Your Family.
    • Learning: Companies that use "we're a family" rhetoric are often trying to manipulate you into working longer hours for less pay. A company is a team, not a family.
    • Quote: "When a company says 'we're like a family,' run. It's a business transaction. You provide value, they pay you. Be loyal to people, not to a corporate entity."
    • Source: Search: "Job Family"
  7. Learn to Sell.
    • Learning: Sales is not a dirty word. You are always selling—selling your ideas to your boss, selling yourself in an interview, selling your product to customers.
    • Quote: "Engineers hate sales, but the best founders are good at it. Learning to communicate value and persuade people is a fundamental life skill."
    • Source: The Other Side Podcast
  8. Learn to Write.
    • Learning: Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. In a remote-first world, your ability to communicate effectively through writing is paramount.
    • Quote: "The ability to write a clear, concise email or document is one of the most underrated skills in business today. If you can't write well, it's hard to lead."
    • Source: General theme.
  9. Quitting Can Be a Superpower.
    • Learning: Society glorifies grit, but sometimes the smartest move is to quit something that isn't working to free up your time and energy for something that will.
    • Quote: "Knowing when to quit is just as important as knowing when to persevere. Don't fall for the sunk cost fallacy."
    • Source: When to Quit Your Startup
  10. Your Network is Your Net Worth.
    • Learning: The connections you make are one of your most valuable assets. Provide value to others generously without expecting anything in return.
    • Quote: "Build your network before you need it. The best way to do that is to be genuinely helpful and interesting."
    • Source: General theme.

IV. On Mindset & Philosophy

This section covers John's broader views on work, life, and thinking.

  1. Detach Your Ego from Your Ideas.
    • Learning: Your first idea is almost certainly wrong. If your ego is tied to it, you won't be able to pivot to the right one.
    • Quote: "Be strongly opinionated, but loosely held. You have to be able to kill your darlings. The market doesn't care about your ego."
    • Source: General YC advice he champions.
  2. Consistency Over Intensity.
    • Learning: Small, consistent efforts every day are far more effective than short, heroic bursts of unsustainable work.
    • Quote: "Don't try to work 16-hour days. You'll burn out. The goal is to build a sustainable system where you can show up and make progress every single day for years."
    • Source: Search: "Consistency"
  3. Embrace Being a Beginner.
    • Learning: It's okay to be bad at something new. The beginner's mind is open and learns quickly. Don't let the fear of looking stupid prevent you from starting.
    • Quote: "Everyone is a beginner at some point. The expert has just failed more times than the beginner has even tried."
    • Source: How I Would Learn To Code (If I Had To Start Over)
  4. The World is Malleable.
    • Learning: The systems, apps, and companies around you were all built by people who are no smarter than you. You can change things and build things too.
    • Quote: "Once you realize that the world is built by people just like you, it gives you permission to start building too. The world is more malleable than you think."
    • Source: General theme.
  5. Optimize for Interesting.
    • Learning: When faced with a choice, pick the path that seems more interesting and will lead to better stories. It's a good heuristic for a fulfilling life.
    • Quote: "If I'm not sure what to do next, I ask myself, 'Which path will lead to a more interesting life?' It's a great tie-breaker."
    • Source: The Other Side Podcast
  6. Document, Don't Create.
    • Learning: If you don't know what content to create, just document your process of learning or building something. It's authentic and valuable to others on the same path.
    • Quote: "You don't have to be an expert to create content. Just document your journey. People love to follow along as you learn and build in public."
    • Source: How I Got 100,000 Subscribers on YouTube
  7. Constraints Breed Creativity.
    • Learning: Having limited time, money, or resources forces you to be more creative and focused.
    • Quote: "Having no money is a huge advantage when you're starting out. It forces you to be scrappy and creative in ways that a well-funded company can't be."
    • Source: How to Start a Startup (with no money)
  8. Think in Bets.
    • Learning: Frame decisions not as right or wrong, but as bets with probabilities and payoffs. This helps remove emotion and ego.
    • Quote: "Every decision is a bet. What's the upside if I'm right? What's the downside if I'm wrong? And what's the probability of each? Thinking this way makes you a better decision-maker."
    • Source: The Other Side Podcast
  9. Simple is Hard.
    • Learning: It's easy to build a complex, bloated product. It's incredibly difficult to create something that is simple, elegant, and intuitive.
    • Quote: "The goal is to subtract, not to add. True mastery is making something complex feel simple."
    • Source: General design and product principle he advocates.
  10. Play Long-Term Games with Long-Term People.
    • Learning: Your reputation is everything. Don't burn bridges or optimize for short-term gains at the expense of long-term relationships.
    • Quote: "The tech world is very small. The person you screw over today could be the investor or co-founder you need in five years. Always act with integrity."
    • Source: General theme.

V. On Marketing & Growth

John's approach to marketing is pragmatic, often focusing on content and product-led growth.

  1. Build in Public.
    • Learning: Share your journey—your progress, your struggles, your revenue. This builds an audience, creates accountability, and attracts customers who want to support you.
    • Quote: "Building in public is the best marketing strategy for a solo founder. It's your unfair advantage. You're building a community and a product at the same time."
    • Source: His entire YouTube channel is a testament to this.
  2. Content Marketing is Building an Asset.
    • Learning: Every blog post or video is an asset that works for you 24/7, attracting potential customers for years to come. It's a long-term investment.
    • Quote: "This YouTube channel is the single best marketing investment I've ever made. I have videos from years ago that still bring in leads every single day."
    • Source: How I Got 100,000 Subscribers on YouTube
  3. Niche Down.
    • Learning: Don't try to be everything to everyone. Find a small, specific niche of users and build the absolute best product for them.
    • Quote: "It's better to have 100 users who are obsessed with your product than 10,000 users who kind of like it. Start with a tiny niche you can dominate."
    • Source: Search: "Niche"
  4. Product-Led Growth.
    • Learning: The best marketing is a product that is so good, it spreads by word of mouth. Build virality and sharing directly into the product experience.
    • Quote: "How can your product market itself? Can users invite others? Is there a public-facing component that brings in new users? That's product-led growth."
    • Source: General product strategy discussion.
  5. SEO is a Marathon, Not a Sprint.
    • Learning: Content and SEO take a long time to work, but the payoff is huge. It creates a durable, defensible moat for your business.
    • Quote: "You won't see results from SEO in the first month, or maybe even the first six months. But if you stick with it, one day you'll wake up and realize you have a free, consistent stream of highly qualified customers."
    • Source: The Other Side Podcast
  6. Distribution is as Important as Product.
    • Learning: A great product with no distribution will fail. You need to think about how you will reach customers from day one.
    • Quote: "Founders fall in love with their product and forget about distribution. You should spend 50% of your time building and 50% of your time figuring out how to get it in front of people."
    • Source: Search: "Distribution"
  7. Find One Channel That Works.
    • Learning: Don't try to be on every platform. Find one customer acquisition channel that works for your business and double down on it until it's maxed out.
    • Quote: "You don't need to be on TikTok, and Twitter, and run Google Ads, and do SEO. Find the one channel where your customers live and own it."
    • Source: How to Get Your First 100 Customers
  8. Pricing is a Form of Marketing.
    • Learning: Your price signals the quality and target audience of your product. Don't be afraid to charge more.
    • Quote: "Most founders underprice their product. Charging more not only makes you more money, it attracts a better class of customer who is more serious and gives better feedback."
    • Source: Search: "Pricing"
  9. Create a "Spike" in Your Marketing.
    • Learning: To get noticed, you need to do something remarkable or controversial that creates a "spike" of attention.
    • Quote: "For Soylent, the 'spike' was the blog post 'How I Stopped Eating Food.' It was provocative and got us our initial wave of attention. What's your spike?"
    • Source: The Other Side Podcast
  10. Your Story is Your Brand.
    • Learning: People connect with stories, not features. Your personal story and the story of why you started the company are your most powerful branding tools.
    • Quote: "The story of Lucy wasn't just about a nicotine product; it was my story of struggling to quit. That authenticity is what built our initial brand."
    • Source: Why I Started a Nicotine Company (The Lucy Story)
  11. Give Away Your Best Ideas.
    • Learning: Don't hoard your knowledge. By giving away your best content and ideas for free, you build trust and authority, which ultimately leads to customers.
    • Quote: "People are always worried about giving away their 'secrets.' The secret is there are no secrets. Execution is everything. Giving away your knowledge for free is the best way to prove you know what you're talking about."
    • Source: His entire content strategy is based on this principle.