# Max Hodak: How Startups Build Speed

An episode of [Y Combinator Startup Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1236907421), 10 Aug 2026, 57 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/8c1524bc/podcast/play/124043944/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-7-10%2F429595889-44100-2-a070af848a476.mp3

Science is building a retinal implant that restores vision to people who have gone blind. One patient has already used it to read a 300-page novel.Building a company like that requires a lot more than getting the technology right. At Startup School 2026, Science CEO Max Hodak explains how the company buys things and hires people, and why those systems determine how fast it can move.He also gets into why founders can’t delegate their judgment, and why there’s no set of five bullet points that makes a startup work.Transcript: https://www.ycrootaccess.com/p/max-hodak-there-are-no-blanket-rules

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