Quotes from Alan Schaaf

I ran a profitable boostrapped company for five years, then raised $40 million from Andreessen Horowitz.

For millennials, being a geek is a positive thing, and we see people proudly self-identifying themselves as geeks.

Imgur offers a rare place for people to express themselves in a real way without the fear of social judgment. Everyone has an equal chance of sharing their story to millions of people because it's not about who you are but about the quality of your content.

Imgur isn't about following a celebrity, and it's not about following a person in real life. You don't have to build up a massive following and use that to get your distribution.

I'm the type of manager who doesn't really like the word 'manage.' Nor do I really like the word 'boss.' I like to look at myself as more as a leader.

One of my favorite sci-fi books is 'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card. I would recommend it to anyone who loves sci-fi. It's a perfect intro to sci-fi.

How do I find someone for a position I've never worked with - or worked under, even? I feel like I'm not qualified to make a lot of these decisions.

In many ways, products are a reflection of their founders, and I consider myself a geek. But aside from that, Imgur just organically evolved into the epicenter of geek culture.

If you're even on the fence about hiring someone, that person is a no. You have to feel it in your gut.

Honestly, I could care less about business development.

On Imgur, introverts can be extroverts. They don't have to worry about curating their own brand and are able to express themselves more authentically. They can go on Imgur and be themselves.

We're not going the photography route. 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.

I'm proud that I've been able to attract an incredible team to work with me.

It's gotten more open and easy to create a business on the Internet. That's a really awesome thing for entrepreneurs and for the world.

We want to be the best place on the Internet. That's where the focus is at.

The reason I want to be able to teleport is that I don't like waiting around. It's one of my pet peeves. I also don't like traveling, because I don't like sitting on a plane for six hours, doing nothing, essentially wasting time. You know what would be awesome? Bam, I'm in New York.

If there is a viral video on the Internet, you know it's on YouTube. You can search for it, find it, see the view count, and then take that link and share it with whomever you want. That's what we are doing for images.

We want to be like a YouTube for viral images.

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 and represent them in all of the company decisions.

I don't have much time to read. I'm more of a problem solver. I'll have an idea or a problem, and I'll learn what's necessary in order to do the idea or solve the problem. If I need to read a book, then I will, but it usually comes down to researching on the Internet and reading blog posts.

When we first started growing our employees, I was scared. I would often think, 'If we had more people, what would they do? Is there really enough work?'

I think it's interesting to know that being a geek isn't the negative thing that it used to be.

Geek culture is all about being super passionate about your interests and not afraid to express them, even if your interests are unpopular.

People come home from work, and they just want to unwind.