# Show HN: CC Founder Decision Engine > Source: > Published: 2026-07-12 18:15:20+00:00 A decision operating system for startup founders, powered by Claude Code. Synthesizes the wisdom of 25+ legendary founders, investors, and thinkers into an interactive AI advisor that helps you make the highest-leverage decisions at every stage of building a company. This is not a reading list. It's a **decision engine** — an interactive system that: - Routes your decisions through battle-tested frameworks from the world's best founders - Challenges your assumptions before you commit - Runs pre-mortems on your plans before they fail - Evaluates your startup through investor eyes - Keeps you honest with weekly and quarterly checklists It runs as a Claude Code project. When you boot it up, Claude becomes a strategic co-founder who has internalized the decision-making of Paul Graham, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Naval Ravikant, Warren Buffett, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and 15+ others. ``` cd ~/decision-engine claude ``` That's it. The `CLAUDE.md` kernel loads automatically and transforms Claude into your founder advisor. Then use slash commands: ``` /decide should I pursue enterprise or SMB customers first? /build an AI tool that automates bookkeeping for freelancers /pivot we've been at this for 8 months with 200 users but no growth /hire considering bringing on a VP of Sales at Series A /raise thinking about raising a $3M seed at $15M post /contrarian a marketplace connecting local chefs with home diners /premortem launching in 3 new cities simultaneously next quarter /weekly ``` | Command | Purpose | What It Does | |---|---|---| `/decide ` | Universal router | Classifies your decision, runs the 5-question Pre-Decision Protocol, applies the right frameworks, gives a recommendation | `/build ` | Idea validation | Runs Graham's Three-Filter, Thiel's Contrarian Test, Caldwell's Tar Pit Check, Sequoia's PMF Archetypes, and Chesky's 11-Star design | `/pivot ` | Pivot vs. persevere | Diagnostic on time, user signals, hypothesis quality, and energy direction. Applies YC's pivot matrix and Buffett's punch card | `/hire ` | Hiring decisions | Pre-hire necessity check, candidate evaluation (Buffett's integrity test, Musk's problem-solving interview, Rabois's barrel classification) | `/raise ` | Fundraising strategy | Default alive check, readiness checklist, amount formula, investor selection criteria, process playbook, term sheet red flags | `/scale ` | Scaling diagnostic | PMF reality check, a16z phase identification, blitzscaling criteria, executive hiring sequence, danger signals | `/wartime ` | Leadership mode | Diagnoses peacetime vs. wartime, provides mode-specific operating playbook, identifies switch triggers | `/weekly` | Weekly check-in | Interactive 10-question founder checklist covering metrics, focus, customers, speed, and long-term thinking | `/contrarian ` | Stress test | Thiel's contrarian framework, consensus check, Graham's "sounds bad/actually good" filter, Dixon's timing signal, Buffett's inversion | `/premortem ` | Failure analysis | Assumes the plan failed. Generates 5+ failure scenarios, runs Munger's bias audit, elimination round, Buffett scorecard, clear verdict | Specialized sub-agents for deeper analysis. Claude Code can invoke these automatically or you can request them. | Agent | Role | Voice | |---|---|---| advisor | Full-context strategic advisor | Synthesized — all 25+ thinkers | contrarian | Devil's advocate that challenges every assumption | Peter Thiel + Charlie Munger | premortem | Inversion analyst — assumes failure, finds kill shots | Charlie Munger + Warren Buffett | investor-lens | Evaluates from top-tier VC perspective | Marc Andreessen + Sequoia Capital | Ask Claude to invoke agents directly: ``` "Run the contrarian agent on my idea for an AI writing assistant" "Have the investor-lens agent evaluate my startup as if I'm pitching at a partner meeting" "I need a pre-mortem on our decision to go all-in on enterprise sales" ``` The decision engine is built on 6 research files totaling 185K+ of distilled, actionable frameworks: | File | Lines | Contents | |---|---|---| `00-DECISION-ENGINE.md` | 586 | Start here. Master index, 7 meta-frameworks, 5 decision playbooks (Build, Pivot, Raise, Scale, Wartime), weekly/quarterly checklists, one-page cheat sheet | `01-yc-wisdom.md` | 671 | Paul Graham (6 frameworks), Sam Altman (execution stack), Michael Seibel (MVP/pivot), Dalton Caldwell (tar pits), Jessica Livingston (founder character). 40+ quotes, 5 decision trees, 5 quick checklists | `02-vc-wisdom.md` | 961 | Marc Andreessen (BPMF/APMF, idea maze), Ben Horowitz (peacetime/wartime, management debt), Keith Rabois (barrels vs. ammunition), Elad Gil (scaling playbook), Chris Dixon (timing signals), Sequoia (3 PMF archetypes), Vinod Khosla (black swan investing). 16 fundraising commandments | `03-jobs-gates.md` | 429 | Steve Jobs (350→10 elimination, product intuition, A-player compounding, NeXT lessons) and Bill Gates (Think Weeks, IBM deal, Internet Tidal Wave, platform thinking). 10 actionable frameworks, comparison table | `04-naval-buffett-ellison.md` | 511 | Naval Ravikant (leverage hierarchy, specific knowledge, 4 types of luck), Warren Buffett + Charlie Munger (circle of competence, moats, inversion, punch card, 8 mental models), Larry Ellison (zero-sum strategy, acquisition framework, platform lock-in). 5 cross-cutting frameworks | `05-modern-founders.md` | 689 | Elon Musk (first principles, 5-step algorithm, idiot index), Jeff Bezos (Day 1, two-way doors, flywheel, regret minimization), Peter Thiel (Zero to One, contrarian framework, power law), Reid Hoffman (blitzscaling), Brian Chesky (11-star experience), Patrick Collison (talent density), Jensen Huang (platform bets). 10 actionable frameworks | Seven cross-cutting principles that ALL the greats share, extracted from the full research: - **Focus Is Subtraction**— Jobs (350→10), Musk (delete algorithm), Bezos (Day 1), Chesky (COVID cuts), Buffett ("say no to almost everything") - **The Leverage Hierarchy**— Code/media > capital > labor > your time. Always push toward higher leverage. (Naval) - **The Moat Imperative**— Network effects > switching costs > tech > brand > scale. If a billionaire could destroy you, fix that first. (Buffett, Thiel, a16z) - **The Speed Doctrine**— 70% info is enough for reversible decisions. "If the schedule is long, it's wrong." (Bezos, Musk, Collison, Altman) - **The People Equation**— First 5 hires set the company's permanent ceiling. Barrels > ammunition. Integrity is non-negotiable. (Jobs, Rabois, Buffett) - **The Contrarian Imperative**— If everyone agrees, the opportunity is gone. The best ideas look wrong to most smart people. (Thiel, Graham, Buffett, Dixon) - **The Compounding Principle**— Always choose the option that builds value over time. Short-term thinkers are your competition. (Naval, Buffett, Bezos, Huang) ``` ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ HIGHEST LEVERAGE DECISION RULES ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ ║ ║ 1. SUBTRACT FIRST (Jobs, Musk, Bezos) ║ ║ → What should NOT exist? Delete it. ║ ║ ║ ║ 2. SPEED > PERFECTION (Bezos, Musk, Collison) ║ ║ → 70% info is enough. Decide. Iterate. ║ ║ ║ ║ 3. SEEK ASYMMETRY (Naval, Buffett, Thiel) ║ ║ → Capped downside + unlimited upside = go. ║ ║ ║ ║ 4. BUILD MOATS (Buffett, Thiel, Ellison) ║ ║ → If a billionaire could destroy you, fix that. ║ ║ ║ ║ 5. HIRE BARRELS (Rabois, Jobs, Musk) ║ ║ → One barrel > ten ammunition. ║ ║ ║ ║ 6. COMPOUND EVERYTHING (Naval, Buffett, Bezos) ║ ║ → Choose the option that builds over time. ║ ║ ║ ║ 7. THINK CONTRARIAN (Thiel, Graham, Buffett) ║ ║ → If everyone agrees, the opportunity is gone. ║ ║ ║ ║ 8. OBSESS OVER CUSTOMERS (Bezos, Graham, Chesky) ║ ║ → Not competitors. Not metrics. Customers. ║ ║ ║ ║ 9. INVERT THE QUESTION (Munger, Buffett) ║ ║ → "How does this fail?" before "How does this win?" ║ ║ ║ ║ 10. PLAY THE LONG GAME (Bezos, Naval, Huang) ║ ║ → Short-term thinkers are your competition. ║ ║ ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ decision-engine/ │ ├── CLAUDE.md # Kernel — loaded into every session │ # Defines identity, principles, behavior │ ├── 00-DECISION-ENGINE.md # Master index + playbooks + checklists ├── 01-yc-wisdom.md # Knowledge base: YCombinator ├── 02-vc-wisdom.md # Knowledge base: VCs & a16z ├── 03-jobs-gates.md # Knowledge base: Jobs & Gates ├── 04-naval-buffett-ellison.md # Knowledge base: Naval, Buffett, Ellison ├── 05-modern-founders.md # Knowledge base: Musk, Bezos, Thiel, etc. │ └── .claude/ ├── commands/ # Slash commands (interactive playbooks) │ ├── decide.md # /decide — universal router │ ├── build.md # /build — idea validation │ ├── pivot.md # /pivot — pivot vs. persevere │ ├── hire.md # /hire — hiring framework │ ├── raise.md # /raise — fundraising strategy │ ├── scale.md # /scale — scaling diagnostic │ ├── wartime.md # /wartime — leadership mode │ ├── weekly.md # /weekly — founder checklist │ ├── contrarian.md # /contrarian — stress test │ └── premortem.md # /premortem — failure analysis │ ├── agents/ # Specialized sub-agents │ ├── advisor.md # General founder advisor │ ├── contrarian.md # Devil's advocate │ ├── premortem.md # Inversion analyst │ └── investor-lens.md # VC perspective evaluator │ └── skills/ # Lazy-loaded capabilities ├── decision-frameworks/ │ └── SKILL.md # Auto-activates on decision questions └── founder-wisdom/ └── SKILL.md # Auto-activates for specific thinkers ``` | Layer | Role | Analogy | |---|---|---| `CLAUDE.md` | Core identity and operating principles | OS kernel | | Knowledge base (00-05) | Decision frameworks and founder wisdom | System libraries | | Slash commands | Interactive decision playbooks | CLI tools / system calls | | Agents | Specialized analytical perspectives | Co-processors | | Skills | Context-aware framework activation | Drivers / modules | | Name | Company | Primary Contribution | |---|---|---| | Steve Jobs | Apple, Pixar, NeXT | Focus, product intuition, A-player teams | | Bill Gates | Microsoft | Platform thinking, competitive strategy, Think Weeks | | Elon Musk | Tesla, SpaceX | First principles, speed, the deletion algorithm | | Jeff Bezos | Amazon | Day 1 thinking, two-way doors, customer obsession | | Larry Ellison | Oracle | Competitive strategy, acquisitions, platform lock-in | | Brian Chesky | Airbnb | 11-star experience, doing things that don't scale | | Patrick Collison | Stripe | Infrastructure thinking, talent density, craft | | Jensen Huang | NVIDIA | Platform bets, AI as infrastructure | | Name | Affiliation | Primary Contribution | |---|---|---| | Paul Graham | Y Combinator | Idea validation, PMF, "Do Things That Don't Scale" | | Sam Altman | Y Combinator, OpenAI | Execution speed, team building | | Marc Andreessen | a16z | Market > Product > Team, PMF, scaling | | Ben Horowitz | a16z | Peacetime/wartime CEO, management debt | | Peter Thiel | Founders Fund | Zero to One, contrarian thinking, monopoly strategy | | Naval Ravikant | AngelList | Leverage, specific knowledge, wealth creation | | Warren Buffett | Berkshire Hathaway | Moats, circle of competence, long-term compounding | | Charlie Munger | Berkshire Hathaway | Inversion, mental models, bias detection | | Reid Hoffman | LinkedIn, Greylock | Blitzscaling, network effects | | Keith Rabois | Khosla, Founders Fund | Barrels vs. ammunition, operations | | Chris Dixon | a16z | Timing signals, idea maze | | Elad Gil | Color Genomics | Post-PMF scaling, executive hiring | | Vinod Khosla | Khosla Ventures | Black swan investing, founder criteria | | Michael Seibel | Y Combinator | MVP philosophy, pivot vs. iterate | | Dalton Caldwell | Y Combinator | Tar pit ideas, pivot quality | | Jessica Livingston | Y Combinator | Founder character assessment | | Name | Primary Contribution | |---|---| | Sequoia Capital | 3 PMF archetypes (Hair on Fire, Hard Fact, Future Vision) | | a16z | Network effects taxonomy, fundraising commandments, scaling phases | | Y Combinator | Startup school curriculum, batch wisdom from 1,000+ startups | Research was conducted across 50+ web sources including: - Paul Graham's essays (paulgraham.com) - Sam Altman's Startup Playbook - a16z blog and podcast archives - Jeff Bezos's annual shareholder letters (1997-2021) - Peter Thiel's CS183 Stanford lectures and *Zero to One* - Walter Isaacson's biographies of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk - Ben Horowitz's *The Hard Thing About Hard Things* *The Almanack of Naval Ravikant*- Reid Hoffman's *Blitzscaling* - Elad Gil's *High Growth Handbook* - Warren Buffett's annual letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders - Charlie Munger's *Poor Charlie's Almanack* - Sequoia Capital's Arc PMF framework - YCombinator's seed fundraising guide - Farnam Street (fs.blog) interview transcripts - Masters of Scale podcast transcripts - Hacker News founder wisdom threads - D Conference and Lost Interview transcripts - Create or extend a knowledge base file (01-05) with their frameworks - Add them to the `founder-wisdom` skill in`.claude/skills/founder-wisdom/SKILL.md` - Update the source map in `00-DECISION-ENGINE.md` - Create a new `.md` file in`.claude/commands/` - Use `$ARGUMENTS` for user input - Reference the relevant knowledge base files - Add it to `CLAUDE.md` and this README - Create a new `.md` file in`.claude/agents/` with YAML frontmatter - Define `name` ,`description` , and`allowedTools` - Give it a clear voice, framework set, and response format - Add it to `CLAUDE.md` and this README This is a personal decision tool. The frameworks, quotes, and mental models referenced herein are attributed to their original creators. This project is a synthesis for personal use and education. *Built with Claude Code agent teams. 4,835+ lines of synthesized founder wisdom. March 2026.*