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Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

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Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#71

Post by whatyoucantsay »

tptacek wrote: post #10

Can we save ourselves a really long, pointless political argument? They ended the entire part-time-partner program, and transitioned some of the part-timers to advisor roles. Thiel is one of multiple part-timers not to become an advisor. You are not going to get an answer, or more "context", from YC about the political implications of this change. No matter how many times you ask and how carefully you word the questi…

Given tptacek's history of belligerent comments on threads regarding the NSA, TSA and most especially Aaron Swartz shortly before his death, he is not in a position to pontificate on saving us from "long, pointless political arguments." His contribution is the very epitome of a flamewar-inducing comment.

The hypocrisy is overwhelming and has already been identified by another commenter in this very thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15725589

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#72

Post by Fomite »

bobsil1 wrote: post #45
sillysaurus3 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me try to pull some intellectual gratification out of this: A source close to Y Combinator said that the company ended its part-time partners program, which Thiel was a part of, some time last year. While some other part-time partners moved over to a program called "experts," which provides advice to Y Combinator entrepreneurs, Thiel did not join. It's legit fascinating to me to watch this in action. Let's say hy…

>”Just form another group, then don't invite Thiel to the new group" Conceptually, this is also how VCs wash out founders.

And how you get rid of employees in settings with tenure.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#73

Post by Jhsto »

majormajor wrote: post #55
evangelista wrote: post #42

I am still really puzzled over exactly why Peter Thiel so so hated. I believe the level of hatred is completely unwarranted. From my understanding, it boils down to this: - He is remotely associated with Trump - He helped take down Gawker - ....something something something...but he backed Trump! For the Gawker part: Gawker outed him without his permission. Outing a gay man is something the tabloids used to do in the…

I have some concerns about his fellowship thing looking like an inviting-but-ultimately-a-trap attempt to use 18 year olds to advance his own political agenda, but wouldn't say that's hateable, as theirs definitely a more positive way to look at it. I just think the implementation is not really set up for success for the individuals compared to the opportunity cost. I could see people with an even harsher take on his…

> I just think the implementation is not really set up for success for the individuals compared to the opportunity cost.

Care to elaborate?

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#74

Post by s73ver_ »

evangelista wrote: post #42

I am still really puzzled over exactly why Peter Thiel so so hated. I believe the level of hatred is completely unwarranted. From my understanding, it boils down to this: - He is remotely associated with Trump - He helped take down Gawker - ....something something something...but he backed Trump! For the Gawker part: Gawker outed him without his permission. Outing a gay man is something the tabloids used to do in the…

"I am still really puzzled over exactly why Peter Thiel so so hated."

Honestly, it's because he's a jackass. Don't forget his absurdly libertarian stances regarding regulation, to the point where he funded studies that completely ignored the ethics/regulations around human medical testing. He's also espoused the views that women being allowed to vote is a bad thing, and that people like him should just run the place as a cabal.

"So that leaves one final option: The reason that people hate Thiel is because he made enemies in the Liberal press, they smeared him relentlessly and people internalized this without doing their own independent thinking or research."

No. Assuming that people don't agree with what you think simply because they haven't "done the research" is extremely uncivil. I have done the research, and I think he's a jackass.

"I feel the tech industry is now a worse, less free place when demonization of this type has become so endemic."

The only way you could think that is if you don't feel the rest of us have the right to express our opinions.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#75

Post by tensor »

samsonradu wrote: post #61
tensor wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I personally don't like him because he's hostile towards education.

I've watched more than a dozen talks from him and the education topic was one of the most interesting points. Care to elaborate what you mean by hostile?

He's of the opinion that university is a waste of time and has gone so far as paying people to drop out. This isn't for people who are going into trades and might strictly not need a university education, but for people who he thinks should go on to found technical, medical, and engineering startups.

I'm of the opinion that university is good for everyone, even people who don't strictly need it for their jobs. Democracy only works if you have an educated public that values critical thinking.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#76

Post by ssijak »

neo4sure wrote: post #44

In my opinion, this was long overdue. Anyway, Ycombinator maybe strategically getting ready for a world without trump. Having people who supported this type of a Person won't be a good look in the future.

Sure, lets all think the same. Do you play football with people who dont like to eat what you like?

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#77

Post by creaghpatr »

krylon wrote: post #58
SimbaOnSteroids wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regulatory lock for both Palantir and Facebook. Regulations can be very good for large businesses as they erect enormous barriers to entry into certain spaces that only established companies can hope to surmount.

I am not willing to believe that on such scarce evidence. I not exactly a fan of Peter Thiel, but I am not convinced he is that ruthless. However, if it were true, it matches so perfectly the article he wrote for WSJ a few years ago. It was literally titled "Competition is for losers". [1] I still do not think that he basically wants to bully all the competition away so he can make more money and become more powerful…

I mean, it's straight out of his book Zero to One, something about being "last to market"

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#78

Post by s73ver_ »

randyrand wrote: post #18
pault wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would he have to gain from such a war?

A few large silicon valley companies have a large concentration of power. Libertarians like distribution of power among smaller entities.

But that's not Thiel at all. He does want power concentrated; he just wants to be one of those it's concentrated with.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#79

Post by jweihwiehrwo »

evangelista wrote: post #42

I am still really puzzled over exactly why Peter Thiel so so hated. I believe the level of hatred is completely unwarranted. From my understanding, it boils down to this: - He is remotely associated with Trump - He helped take down Gawker - ....something something something...but he backed Trump! For the Gawker part: Gawker outed him without his permission. Outing a gay man is something the tabloids used to do in the…

OMG Peter Thiel helped shutdown a blog that in the grand scheme is hardly consequential! By all means, let's have a ticker tape parade for this man!

How about his terrible company PayPal absconding with people's money for years now?

How about his other terrible company Palantir being a shady analytics firm for the government?

How about his desire to destroy the government in a non-democratic way to serve his billionaire interests, under some delusion that since he's rich he obviously should be allowed to do whatever he thinks.... and we all should just be ok with it.

He's the sort of person that reminds of that Kirk meme: "What's that? I can't hear your arguments against what I'm doing because of how awesome I am!"

His beliefs align largely with the chunk of the population that is being exploited most by his billionaire class. Meanwhile, the other 58% he'll happily ignore so long as he stands to benefit.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#80

Post by jweihwiehrwo »

tptacek wrote: post #10

Can we save ourselves a really long, pointless political argument? They ended the entire part-time-partner program, and transitioned some of the part-timers to advisor roles. Thiel is one of multiple part-timers not to become an advisor. You are not going to get an answer, or more "context", from YC about the political implications of this change. No matter how many times you ask and how carefully you word the questi…

You have a enough rep on tech topics to hold sway.

Don't think it auto-translates over to other contexts.

You have a point, make it. Don't manipulate the conversation, and front load it with opinions.

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