Y CombinatorCEO Sam Altman is afraid intolerance is hurting innovation. Don't buy it. : Hardship and struggle are the blood and bones of every entrepreneurial story worth telling. We never grow tired of hearing about the founder who lived on friends' couches for a year, or got turned down by 49 investors before the 50th one said yes, or was an hour away from missing payroll when the big contract came through. Sam Altman is the CEO of Y Combinator, an accelerator where the idea of startup-as-struggle is not just taught but celebrated.