from Paul Graham | by Paul Graham

Talking to founders in person is way more effective than talking to them via Zoom. @APatelThompson hypothesized (during in-person office hours) that it's because Zoom calls are "transactional." They're not as good for far-ranging speculative discussions.

But far-ranging speculative discussions are often what you need to have in the early phases of a startup, when you're working on things where not only the solutions but even the problems are unclear.

Zoom calls are too intentional. It feels natural to look at the screen and work through agenda items. It feels unnatural to have big pauses in the conversation, or stare at the ceiling, or introduce tenuously related side topics. But those are where new ideas come from.