Sam Szuchan

Founder @ Soleo. LinkedIn strategy for industry leaders. Clients work w/ Apple, Amazon, Google + published in FT, Bloomberg, etc.

Creator of influence. Nice things folks have said about me:

"Recently, a lot of Sam's posts have been taking off. Last week, he helped me reach 400K+ enterprise professionals with a single post. A third of them from companies with 10,000+ employees. When recruiting teams start sharing your content internally, you know you're doing something right."
—Very major recruiting tech CEO

"Each time that I post [a post Sam made], 100+ people enroll in a course that changes their lives, and my business does twelve or thirteen grand in revenue in that day. A total win-win."
—B2B educator you 100% definitely follow

"Sam helped me clarify my goals and think strategically to reach 150K people in my target demographic – largely founders, CEOs, and senior execs. Prospects frequently mention my LinkedIn content."
—CEO of very cool agency working with Google and many other big tech co's!

"Sam's ability to understand who you are and become an extension of you online is second to none. He provides strategic direction, insightful research, and a relentless desire to bring your strengths and knowledge to light."
—Forbes 30u30 founder who basically invented consumer-facing recruiting tech

You have probably read a few dozen posts I've written without realizing it. Thanks for stopping by :)

Founder

Formerly Saga. Leveraging the world's largest B2B platform to create overwhelming lead pipelines for B2B firms.

"As long as the history books get it right, take some pride in letting the newspapers get it wrong."

Sam Altman wrote that in 2020. A year earlier, he walked away from Y Combinator's presidency to bet everything on OpenAI. 

Everyone thought he was insane.

YC was the most powerful platform in startup land. Direct access to hundreds of founders per year. The ability to shape how an entire generation thinks about building companies. A reputation machine that had already minted Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe.

Remember, this was 2019 - way before OpenAI’s rise. He left YC for (what was then) a nonprofit-controlled AI lab that still looked more like a research shop than a product company.

Looking back, EVERY move he made throughout his career was the maximum leverage option available to build influence, way before anyone realized:

- Chose computer science at Stanford in the early 2000s when finance was the prestige path
- Dropped out to do YC and build Loopt when he could have gone straight to Google or Facebook
- After Loopt, launched Hydrazine Capital to invest in YC companies, making himself essential infrastructure for the next generation of founders
- Became YC president at 28 and turned it into a distribution network across hundreds of startups
- Left YC to become CEO of OpenAI's new "capped-profit" structure

Throughout his entire career, he's been 5-10 years early on the most influential position possible. It's happened too many times to be a coincidence.

His pattern works because he understands how influence compounds. Every YC batch, he met dozens of founders at their most malleable stage.

He saw the raw decks, the dysfunctional teams, the early flashes of product-market fit. Some became Instacart, DoorDash, and Coinbase.

Each founder he helped became a future allocator of equity, attention, and introductions.

Their founders remembered who took them seriously when they were pitching half-finished slides.

"The question isn't 'How do I stop caring what people think?'" Altman wrote. "It's 'Whose opinions should I care about and on what timescale?'"

November 2023 proved the pattern works. When OpenAI's board tried to oust him, hundreds of employees threatened to walk. Microsoft made it clear the partnership was with Altman, not the corporate shell.

He didn’t survive through maneuvering.

He survived because of the protective layer of influence he built.

Because influence isn't a cooler job title—

It's pure leverage.

It's a 15-year bet on who and what matters later, and how you can own it before anyone realizes it’s the next big thing.

“The newspapers will get it wrong. The history books will get it right.”

That's the bet he's made his entire career - and he's making it again.

What could you build by choosing history books over newspapers?

P.S. Full breakdown of Altman's 15-year playbook in the comments

Sam Altman Chose Influence Over Billions (And Got Both)

Sharon Wu

Freelance writer helping B2B & B2C brands and founders attract sales-ready leads through expertise-driven SEO blog content 👩🏽‍💻💜

Need long-form content that informs, builds trust, and converts? Partner with me, a YMYL writer and certified financial literacy educator (CFEI® / CFLP℠) with over a decade of service journalism experience.

People are overwhelmed by choices and conflicting advice when making important money or life decisions. Yet the content meant to guide them is often fluffy, impersonal, and disconnected from reality.

After years of writing with leading media outlets, I've built my career on a simple belief:

Readers deserve honest guidance they can trust when navigating life's most important decisions.

What makes my work shine?

- I bring formal financial education credentials to ensure accuracy in every piece.
- I track down authoritative sources, current data, and expert insights you won't find in a quick Google search.
- I combine journalism chops with strategic content writing, whether that's hands-on product testing or translating complex topics into clear, actionable guidance.

My work spans financial literacy, consumer choices, and lifestyle decisions — helping readers navigate budgeting, debt management, product reviews, and major life choices with confidence.

And it makes a real difference.

A reader once told me my article helped her escape 13+ years of credit card debt. Another said my honest product review saved her from wasting money on an overhyped item.

These moments remind me why authentic, human-led content matters.

Currently, I work with brands and publications on bespoke content. In early 2026, I'm also launching licensed content libraries of in-depth pre-written articles with the same editorial rigor as my bespoke work — that financial institutions can customize and use immediately at a fraction of custom costs.

If you want cheap, generic content that sounds like everyone else's, I'm not your writer...

But if you want YMYL content written by someone who does the research and offers practical insights that readers will thank you for — let's talk.

→ www.sharewrites.com

What my clients are saying...

"Sharon blends sharp research, clear structure, and a modern, human voice that matches brand tone effortlessly. She communicates proactively and consistently delivers clean, publish-ready content." - Ramon K., SEO Specialist & Digital Marketer at The Alloy Market

“Sharon is incredible. I’ve worked with her on many stories and would consider her in the top 1% of all writers.” - Alora B., Deputy Editor at CNN Underscored Money

“Her writing consistently sets the standard for our content team." - Mike M., Editor at USA TODAY Homefront

UGC Creator

I worked on numerous creative projects for notable clients, including but not limited to Marshalls, Macy’s, COVERGIRL, American Express, and Hello Fresh.

- Collaborated with my photographer to produce editorial photo content for 100+ brands' commercial-level and social media needs
- Tested products (beauty, lifestyle) and modeled clothing and accessories (fashion) to produce authentic user-generated content & reviews
- Researched the latest fashion, beauty, and lifestyle trends & news to abstract, develop, and produce original, cutting-edge pieces
- Published engaging articles on a lifestyle blog (Elementor on WordPress platform)
- Supplemented copy with original photos on blog articles and social media posts
- Maintained relationships with repeat clients via email to create seasonal content
- Engaged with my audience on the blog and social media channels (Instagram & Facebook) by answering questions and comments

web | WWW.STYLELULLABY.COM

taplio

The Battle

Sam Szuchan

Sharon Wu

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreSam Szuchan's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Sam Szuchan

Sharon Wu

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sam Szuchan's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreSam Szuchan's LinkedIn Performance