"And, like, who gives a fuck about China? When did [google] make the decision to make their search engine work on a whole bunch of crappy cheap computers? That's important!" I loved that.
Damn Right. That for me was the high of the interview.
Paul Graham's Mixergy interview - How YC helped 172 startups take off
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Re: Paul Graham's Mixergy interview - How YC helped 172 startups take off
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
As an aside, I cannot stand people being rude to people that they perceive as the receptionist or somehow lesser in stature to them. Take someone out to lunch and watch how they interact with the waiter and that will tell you a lot about their character.
Couldn't agree more. Its amazing how entitled some people feel. Restaurants are probably the best example, especially when people are outrageous to the waiter, hostess, or barback when problems are clearly outside of their control (kitchen issues, staffing issues). Other good places to judge this characteristic: Taxi Cabs and customer-support calls (you dont need to be on the call, simply listening to the person will…
True story: recently, I was having dinner with a young lady and she discovered a hair in her food. She said "Call the waiter over and chew him out for me." If dates could be awarded Darwin Awards, that line won two.
Re: Paul Graham's Mixergy interview - How YC helped 172 startups take off
#23I know I'm not the only poker player on here that loved that Matt Maroon was the first person PG thought of when singling out characteristics of founders. And even better - now it makes our biweekly YC poker game actually feel productive.
I'm only half-joking. I definitely don't think it's a coincidence that I started playing the game over the same period of years that I grew the itch to join and launch startups. It can be just a fun way to blow off steam but as someone born to very non-entrepreneurial parents, it also taught me a whole bunch of lessons that I never got from school or other jobs:
* how to read people and situations
* combine gut instincts with rational analysis
* understand other people's motivations
* do it all quickly, with money on the line and while keeping the fun party atmosphere going by not being a hypercompetitive dick.
Re: Paul Graham's Mixergy interview - How YC helped 172 startups take off
#24Interesting interview, nice to hear from PG, how Y Combinator evolved. Look forward to have something like Y Combinator in India.
There is something like YCombinator in India: http://iaccelerator.org/
Nobody has heard of this Indian version and more than that:
1)What are the credentials of the guy/organization who started it? Well IIM, the parent behind this clone produces managers and in Tech World, Managers are not good at anything. As Jason Fried said in that bigthink interview, the managers just interrupt and don't let the real doers do their job.
2)How many companies they have invested in? Well, not many.
3)Look at the portfolio and tell me if you have heard of any company. I live in India and I have not heard of single one myself. let alone someone far away in US.
Just like PG himself mentioned in the interview that you can go to The Valley and pitch for your idea. Many people from other countries go to the camp.
I for one, won't waste my time with any Indian or Asian version. I want real stuff else I am OK without it.
Re: Paul Graham's Mixergy interview - How YC helped 172 startups take off
#25Paul, if you're here and have the time, can you define what you mean by "wimps"?
Re: Paul Graham's Mixergy interview - How YC helped 172 startups take off
#26I know I'm not the only poker player on here that loved that Matt Maroon was the first person PG thought of when singling out characteristics of founders. And even better - now it makes our biweekly YC poker game actually feel productive. I'm only half-joking. I definitely don't think it's a coincidence that I started playing the game over the same period of years that I grew the itch to join and launch startups. It…
i thought he mentioned matt as somebody easily capable of duping him in the interview
Re: Paul Graham's Mixergy interview - How YC helped 172 startups take off
#27I loved the way Paul seems to concentrate on his strengths and works with other people who have strengths where he doesn't. He can concentrate on turning a startup into a winner, knowing he's got good legal advice and someone to judge people in 10 minutes flat.
Re: Paul Graham's Mixergy interview - How YC helped 172 startups take off
#28here's the docs page he mentioned: http://ycombinator.com/seriesaa.html
Re: Paul Graham's Mixergy interview - How YC helped 172 startups take off
#29Paul, if you're here and have the time, can you define what you mean by "wimps"?
People who give up too early, for any reason.
Re: Paul Graham's Mixergy interview - How YC helped 172 startups take off
#30Moral of the story: If you get an interview, be really nice to Jessica.
Niceness is not the same thing as determination. Also, trying to flatter someone described as a good judge of character doesn't seem like a good idea to me. /serious