← Back to overview Language: NL EN

The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg

Y Combinator Startup School keynote, 2017 · Checked on 27 February 2026
The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.

Analysis

The quote "The biggest risk is not taking any risk… the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks" is correctly attributed to Mark Zuckerberg and appears in a video of his talk at Y Combinator's Startup School. However, the talk took place in 2015, not 2017. The statement misstates the year while correctly naming the speaker and venue.

Background

Mark Zuckerberg delivered a keynote at Y Combinator's Startup School in August 2015, during which he emphasized the importance of taking risks for entrepreneurs. The quote has been widely circulated online, often without precise citation of the year. No record exists of a similar keynote by Zuckerberg at Y Combinator in 2017.

Verdict summary

Zuckerberg did say the quoted words, but not at a 2017 Y Combinator Startup School keynote.

Sources consulted

— https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q7VJ8lKp2c (Video of Mark Zuckerberg at Y Combinator Startup School, 2015)
— https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-y-combinator-startup-school-quote-2015-8
— https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11469993 (Discussion confirming the 2015 date)