Alan Schaaf Quotes, born October 21, 1987, in Granville, Ohio, is an American entrepreneur and computer scientist, best known as the founder and former CEO of Imgur, the world’s largest image-sharing community. Launched in 2009 while Schaaf was a student at Ohio University, Imgur grew from a simple image-hosting site to a platform with over 150 million monthly active users by 2015. Bootstrapped and profitable for five years, Imgur secured $40 million from Andreessen Horowitz in 2014. Named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2015, Schaaf’s leadership emphasized user experience and community. These 15 quotes—sourced from interviews, public statements, and posts on X—reflect his insights on entrepreneurship, innovation, community, and resilience, capturing his data-driven yet empathetic approach to building a digital legacy.
15 Alan Schaaf Quotes
- “If you’re even on the fence about hiring someone, that person is a no. You have to feel it in your gut.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “The successful entrepreneurs that I see have two characteristics: self-awareness and persistence. They’re able to see problems in their companies through their self-awareness and be persistent enough to solve them.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “The only thing that matters on Imgur is the quality of the content.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “Imgur offers a rare place for people to express themselves in a real way without the fear of social judgment.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “If SOPA were to pass, Imgur would not be able to exist. We survive on user-generated content. It would be impossible for us to police the amount of traffic we get for what is or isn’t copyrighted material.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “I’m probably most proud of the fact that we are bootstrapped and that we are able to do not just the typical Silicon Valley startup thing.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “Imgur is a data-driven company, and our community is our most important signal. But you can’t perfectly plot humans neatly into a chart. It takes someone with instincts and empathy to truly understand the community.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “When I was in high school and college, I’d always been into websites, and when you’d read about sites and the companies and people behind them, they were always in Silicon Valley.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “Being bootstrapped is great. You own 100 percent of it. But the downside is that you aren’t able to move as fast as you want.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “As long as we continue to bring in more traffic, I’m much more concerned with building a good user experience and developing tools that will help grow the Imgur community of users.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “If you’re not utilizing an online community, then you’re at a disadvantage to those who are. You can be asking online communities what they think about your ideas.” (Deepstash, n.d.)
- “In the early days, it was enough for Imgur to have a team that was focused on building product and engineering. But I realized early on if we were going to be successful, we needed someone who would be a bridge between the company and community.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “I think there is a real distinction between photos and images, and Flickr is for photos, and Instagram is for photos. You wouldn’t put a filter on a meme; you’d put a filter on top of a photo that came from your camera.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “We’re trying to be a content destination for viral images and to be an entertainment destination in general.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “I’ve found that instability from growth comes in waves.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
Alan Schaaf’s quotes are a dynamic blend of entrepreneurial grit, community focus, and technological insight, inspiring innovators to build with empathy and persistence. Which quote fuels your startup spark? Drop it in the comments and keep Schaaf’s digital legacy thriving!
Emma Thompson
Hi, I'm Emma Thompson, founder of MyLittleDesire. I share relationship advice, love quotes, and thoughtful gift ideas to help you express your feelings and strengthen your bonds. Let's celebrate love together!
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