The one thing that I give credit for [regarding a CS degree] is discipline. Discipline means actually going through whatever hoops the schools make you go through. Discipline means actually having the patience to take the requisite classes and doing the projects, even if it isnt glamorous.

lets be honest, about 10% of the work of the startup is exciting. the other 90% is pure drudgery, and that's part of the reason why some people opt to work for a large corporation.

I restrict myself to hiring kids with a solid CS degree from a good university, not because I think other people are incompetent or because those people are competent. I think, at the end of the day, especially for a startup, I want to be sure that I dont end up with a fly-by-nighter or with a person unable to keep focused on the task at hand for months at a time.