Garry Tan on Founder

I get more out of a text chat with the average founder than reading their deck. Bad decks and email resemble high school book reports. The form precedes the function: communication. People spend more time checking the checkboxes of looking like a startup than actually being one

285 likes15 repliesPosted May 29, 2020

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Viral score

Based on absolute engagement — the platform doesn’t expose follower counts here, so large accounts score higher.

From likes, comments.

Why it worked

Opens with a short, self-contained line that is easy to take in at a glance.
Contradicts something the audience already believes, which stops the scroll.
The opening line stands alone, so it reads completely before the post is expanded.
Written from experience rather than as advice, which is harder to argue with.
Short enough to read in full without expanding, which removes a step before the point lands.
Short sentences keep the pace up, so the reader never has to re-read a line.

The mechanics

Hook: Plain observation
Structure: Hook → Landing
Style: Conversational paragraphs at a steady pace.
Tone: personal
Mechanisms: Pattern interrupt
Written for: Founders and early-stage teams

Analysis by ViralLoop — not written by the original author.

Topics

Founder

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