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Y Combinator's Hardware Guy Leaves After 14 Months

bloomberg.com

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Re: Y Combinator's Hardware Guy Leaves After 14 Months

#81

Post by yuhong »

mysterypie wrote: post #61
sushid wrote: post #6

"Sam Altman, president and co-founder of Y Combinator." Uhh, they clearly didn't do their homework if they thought Altman co-founded YC.

My theory about how this error happened: Bloomberg reporter checked Wikipedia where it clearly says, "In 2014, Altman was named president of Y Combinator, which he had been a part of as a founder..."[1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Altman Of course, if the reporter had spent a few more seconds reading the entire sentence he may have gotten it right: "In 2014, Altman was named president of Y Combinator, whic…

For fun, look up the history of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Livingston , which was submitted for deletion twice and even now is pretty short.

Re: Y Combinator's Hardware Guy Leaves After 14 Months

#82

Post by ccamrobertson »

sama wrote: post #70

I counted at least 5 factual errors in the photo caption and first 3 paragraphs. We also heard that this reporter was 'encouraged' to write this by someone from a competing accelerator with an obvious agenda. Seems like manufactured controversy otherwise. All that said, we like hardware and we like Luke, and we're excited he's in the new batch! And we're thankful for the work he did to get our hardware program set up…

And many more errors; Wakemate wasn't the first YC hardware company - or even the second. Picwing did hardware in S08 and Wattvision was W09 (still alive), both before Wakemate.

Re: Y Combinator's Hardware Guy Leaves After 14 Months

#83

Post by brudgers »

rezashirazian wrote: post #8

Still, hardware is, well, hard. Silicon Valley has produced a raft of world-changing software startups, from Airbnb (a YC veteran) to Facebook. But it's a whole lot easier to beta-test an app than to prototype and then manufacture a gadget with a bunch of moving parts. Then you have to market the thing to the masses, who are already enamored of their Apple and Samsung products. Exhibits A and B: Fitbit, the fitness t…

Based on some analysis I've read, GoPro's growth is somewhat limited by market saturation: a significant proportion of the people who are likely to be enthusiastic action camera users already have an action camera.

Re: Y Combinator's Hardware Guy Leaves After 14 Months

#84

Post by louprado »

I don't know Luke Iseman's vision for Boxouse. But if the goal is to produce structures like the ones shown in the link below then I am really glad he made the decision to focus full time on his company.

http://www.architecturendesign.net/22-most-beautiful-houses-...

Re: Y Combinator's Hardware Guy Leaves After 14 Months

#85

Post by tedmiston »

a13n wrote: post #77
sama wrote: post #70

I counted at least 5 factual errors in the photo caption and first 3 paragraphs. We also heard that this reporter was 'encouraged' to write this by someone from a competing accelerator with an obvious agenda. Seems like manufactured controversy otherwise. All that said, we like hardware and we like Luke, and we're excited he's in the new batch! And we're thankful for the work he did to get our hardware program set up…

Just this week somebody told me about how a competing accelerator made them accept or turn down their offer before doing their YC interview. Ugh.

Unfortunately, you can look back in history and see "exploding offers" have been a pattern [1]. Sam even wrote a post "Exploding Offers Suck" a couple years ago [2].

[1]: https://techcrunch.com/2009/03/22/the-nasty-exploding-term-s...

[2]: https://blog.ycombinator.com/exploding-offers-suck

Re: Y Combinator's Hardware Guy Leaves After 14 Months

#86

Post by ProAm »

huangc10 wrote: post #36
ProAm wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being a partner do you really need the startup 'help'? Don't you already have all the connections you need?

If you see a $100 bill on the ground. Would you not pick it up? *edit cuz i'm bda at spelling

Exactly, why give up that much equity if you already have the connections and benefits of being a YC partner?

Re: Y Combinator's Hardware Guy Leaves After 14 Months

#87

Post by gadders »

evv wrote: post #75
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally I don't mind some jokes here but I can't see what the joke is you're trying to make. If it was a clearly funny comment it perhaps wouldn't fair as badly.

Its a reference to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM

That's pretty funny.

Re: Y Combinator's Hardware Guy Leaves After 14 Months

#88

Post by dibstern »

zubat wrote: post #60
WalterBright wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I learned that when there was a natural gas explosion in the building I worked in in the 80s (nobody was hurt). I recorded several TV news broadcasts on it, and every one got the basic facts wrong in different ways. Things like one called the building a warehouse (it was an office building). There were no political issues nor agendas nor money at stake, the news reporters just didn't make any effort to be correct. I'…

I'm increasingly convinced that looking and thinking too deeply on people matters(news, history, organizations, relationships) is like staring at the sun. There's nothing much to see by focusing your gaze on it, it blocks out stuff more nearby, and you go blind in the process. Which isn't to say that being a numb automaton is ideal, either, but there is a degree of balance and good taste required to avoid converting…

That's the same as saying it's too complex for you to understand so you're not going to bother. It'll hurt you in the long-run, your own relationships depend on your ability to understand people. Furthermore, if you don't understand other people you'll never fully understand yourself.

Re: Y Combinator's Hardware Guy Leaves After 14 Months

#89

Post by JBReefer »

yuhong wrote: post #81
mysterypie wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My theory about how this error happened: Bloomberg reporter checked Wikipedia where it clearly says, "In 2014, Altman was named president of Y Combinator, which he had been a part of as a founder..."[1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Altman Of course, if the reporter had spent a few more seconds reading the entire sentence he may have gotten it right: "In 2014, Altman was named president of Y Combinator, whic…

For fun, look up the history of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Livingston , which was submitted for deletion twice and even now is pretty short.

Oddly, because pg wrote a really lovely piece extolling her contributions and character.

Re: Y Combinator's Hardware Guy Leaves After 14 Months

#90

Post by danso »

rtpg wrote: post #63
WalterBright wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I learned that when there was a natural gas explosion in the building I worked in in the 80s (nobody was hurt). I recorded several TV news broadcasts on it, and every one got the basic facts wrong in different ways. Things like one called the building a warehouse (it was an office building). There were no political issues nor agendas nor money at stake, the news reporters just didn't make any effort to be correct. I'…

It could be they tried to be correct and did the best they could on a meager time budget. Doubly so for TV news I have a hard time ascribing too much to effort. For the one wrong fact, there could be many things that were checked and were true. But of course the wrong thing stands out That said, I feel like journalists know how to Google for basic company info...

Unfortunately, if the Bloomberg reporter used Google, it didn't help the reporter any. Here's a screenshot of Altman's bio from a search I just ran, which lists him as president of Y Combinator, which he is not:

http://imgur.com/a/UE2Oy

Yes, that info is drawn from Wikipedia, but Google really doesn't do a good job of highlighting the source of its Knowledge Graph boxed results. Any tech-savvy reporter (I hope) would hesitate to automatically trust Wikipedia results, but Google's bio boxes are so authoritative looking by their placement that I can see (but not endorse) reporters just going with it.

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