Video: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/14928956
The video puts the quotes into a much better context.
Y Combinator’s Paul Graham: We’re Looking For People Like Us
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Re: Y Combinator’s Paul Graham: We’re Looking For People Like Us
#62Meh... Y Combinator is a potential source of start-up funding. Just as important, Y Combinator is not exclusive of any other source of funding. The difference between YC and other sources of funding is that YC funds a lot of companies twice a year rather than on an as-needed basis so the whole process is very eventful. As YC funds more companies, the value of the "We're a YC company" branding diminishes faster. Whats…
I think you're just being bitter because you got rejected by YC, and now trying to deal with it by saying "Well, YC's not that great anyway".
With the value of YCs portfolio companies over $3 Billion, it's ridiculous to make the allegation that YC is some kind of pyramid scheme.
Re: Y Combinator’s Paul Graham: We’re Looking For People Like Us
#63This is probably the single most discouraging thing I've ever read about startups, but at least it's honest. Entitlement? "Naughtiness"? I think after Google, the idea got out there that it's possible to succeed by just being good . Technically and morally. This sounds like a return to status quo. Not saying he's wrong. He's almost certainly right, it's just depressing.
The people that Paul is describing when he says 'People that get what they want...' and the 'Naughtiness', are people that win in things that they try. the naughtiness implies that they do whatever it takes to get their, even if they ride the edge of moral good.
They want these types of people because they have the highest chance at success when failure is the norm.
Re: Y Combinator’s Paul Graham: We’re Looking For People Like Us
#64Is the sandals with socks thing some sort of deliberate middle-finger? In NYC on a stage, no less.
I can't tell if you're talking about this as if it actually means something or not.
Re: Y Combinator’s Paul Graham: We’re Looking For People Like Us
#65This is probably the single most discouraging thing I've ever read about startups, but at least it's honest. Entitlement? "Naughtiness"? I think after Google, the idea got out there that it's possible to succeed by just being good . Technically and morally. This sounds like a return to status quo. Not saying he's wrong. He's almost certainly right, it's just depressing.
Google is "good"?
http://www.schneier.com/essay-306.html
http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/05/technology/google_cnet/
https://www.recordedfuture.com/ ( Google and In-Q-Tel both major investors )
http://thestockmarketwatch.com/stock-market-news/recent-even...
http://xsreviews.co.uk/2011/05/google-to-lose-500m-to-antitr...
Could keep going for a while. My point is simple: It is easy to forget the "bad" when everyone focuses on the "good"
Re: Y Combinator’s Paul Graham: We’re Looking For People Like Us
#66This is probably the single most discouraging thing I've ever read about startups, but at least it's honest. Entitlement? "Naughtiness"? I think after Google, the idea got out there that it's possible to succeed by just being good . Technically and morally. This sounds like a return to status quo. Not saying he's wrong. He's almost certainly right, it's just depressing.
It's the whole circle-jerk that tech and web have become. Why on earth is Techcrunch hosting a business conference where hosts can fellate big Silicon Valley success stories. On TWiT, they used to talk about tech; now all they talk about is VCs and angel investors.
Tech is so hopeless ingrained with the speculative investment market, they've adopted the worst biproducts of it.
Re: Y Combinator’s Paul Graham: We’re Looking For People Like Us
#67So at roughly a stake of 6% which YC takes, at a total $3 billion valuation, YC's stake is worth $180 million, from an investment of just $5 million. Not a bad payoff, surely to make a lot of Angels and VCs very envious.
They have less than 6% of most of the most valued companies. They suffer dilution when these companies raised money. YC doesn't do follow-on rounds.
Then again the companies will probably be worth even more by the time they reach liquidity.
Re: Y Combinator’s Paul Graham: We’re Looking For People Like Us
#68This is probably the single most discouraging thing I've ever read about startups, but at least it's honest. Entitlement? "Naughtiness"? I think after Google, the idea got out there that it's possible to succeed by just being good . Technically and morally. This sounds like a return to status quo. Not saying he's wrong. He's almost certainly right, it's just depressing.
Following all the rules does not make you a good person. In fact, rule following and obedience to authority is what enables large scale evil. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment for a famous demonstration.
Re: Y Combinator’s Paul Graham: We’re Looking For People Like Us
#69Everyone loves to hate on MBA's it seems. Have there been any yc companies started by mbas?
yes - there are a few. See Custora and Fivestars Card
Re: Y Combinator’s Paul Graham: We’re Looking For People Like Us
#70This is probably the single most discouraging thing I've ever read about startups, but at least it's honest. Entitlement? "Naughtiness"? I think after Google, the idea got out there that it's possible to succeed by just being good . Technically and morally. This sounds like a return to status quo. Not saying he's wrong. He's almost certainly right, it's just depressing.
Following all the rules does not make you a good person. In fact, rule following and obedience to authority is what enables large scale evil. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment for a famous demonstration.
The thing I've never understood about philosophy is that why are ethics and good/evil considered to be properties of people as opposed to systems? It seems like all the social science research points to the conclusion that the intrinsic nature of a person, if such a thing even exists, has almost nothing to do with their behavior.
So you would think that there would be dozens of papers that analyzed the trolley problem from the point of view of what makes an algorithm ethical or unethical, but this doesn't seem to be the case. (E.g. why not imagine a universe where the people on each track had to somehow bid via differing auction mechanisms as to which direction the train went, why even imagine a person at the switch at all?)