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Done with YC: Age Discrimination

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Done with YC: Age Discrimination

#71

Post by whitepaint »

_6pvr wrote: post #66
whitepaint wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, you're right, I missed it. Hm, let's think together, it's a tough one, isn't it? Statistics? Let's say YC never invested in founders over 35. Would that be enough though? Maybe there are other reasons why people over 35 are not the greatest people to invest in and that's why they haven't done it? It's all hypothetical, but we can ask: in general, what proves discrimination? I for sure don't think the main post is…

> it's a tough one For sure. > Statistics Bingo! YC certainly keeps stats on their acceptance info. They don't accept 99% of those that apply. What % of those that get accepted are over 35, compared to those that apply? What % aren't white men? Multiple founders? > I for sure don't think the main post is evidence of anything, so I struggle to see how it's getting so popular. Because OP has a reason to believe they we…

And now you didn't answer the main question. Just because, let's say, stats showed they mostly invest in people under 35, does it mean they discriminate people over 35? If most of founders they invest in are white, does it mean they discriminate against asians, blacks etc.?

What are the appropriate percentages that show no discrimination? 50% of everything?

Once again, what proves discrimination?

If someone is in for the money, would they be discriminate against a certain group of people? Or would they invest in people with the best ideas and the highest probability of success? What kind of investors would prevail over the long term?

Re: Done with YC: Age Discrimination

#72

Post by GradientAscent2 »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #67
dang wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I deleted that sentence because it made my post too long, but since you've quoted it, I'll put it back. I was talking there about the editorial decision surrounding HN launches. That's not related to YC's funding decisions. It's not clear to me what your point is, unless it was simply to mention unconscious bias. Saying that you or anyone would somehow be risking yourself by posting to HN is also a little obscure.

It's a risk any time I speak to you, because a large part of my life is HN, and speaking to you risks another penalty. I didn't mean it as an accusation, it just seems to be the mechanics of me-speaking-to-you. I also apologize for quoting a sentence that you cut. That happened to me earlier, and it's always frustrating, even if it was unintentional. My point was, your comment seems to be mistaken in a revealing way.…

OP here: Names imply age (see also my other comment).

When we list all the ages of the names that I have listed, then we know for sure.

We will(would) see that I am right: Most in their 20ies.

Re: Done with YC: Age Discrimination

#73

Post by void_mint »

whitepaint wrote: post #71
_6pvr wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it's a tough one For sure. > Statistics Bingo! YC certainly keeps stats on their acceptance info. They don't accept 99% of those that apply. What % of those that get accepted are over 35, compared to those that apply? What % aren't white men? Multiple founders? > I for sure don't think the main post is evidence of anything, so I struggle to see how it's getting so popular. Because OP has a reason to believe they we…

And now you didn't answer the main question. Just because, let's say, stats showed they mostly invest in people under 35, does it mean they discriminate people over 35? If most of founders they invest in are white, does it mean they discriminate against asians, blacks etc.? What are the appropriate percentages that show no discrimination? 50% of everything? Once again, what proves discrimination? If someone is in for…

I feel like you've begun sealioning.

> Just because, let's say, stats showed they mostly invest in people under 35, does it mean they discriminate people over 35?

It's about rates, not just raw numbers. If equal amounts of over 35 and under 35 applicants, and consistently YoY you're taking 90% under 35, very clearly you're discriminating against the over 35 category.

> If most of founders they invest in are white, does it mean they discriminate against asians, blacks etc.?

Again, if 30% of applicants are not-white and you accept 2% of them, when generalized success rate is 10%, yes it would again be pretty clear you're discriminating against the non-white category.

> Once again, what proves discrimination?

More sealioning. When a group of people intentionally select for or against a certain group, as is evidenced by patterns of behavior over long periods of time.

Re: Done with YC: Age Discrimination

#74

Post by over50 »

jonas21 wrote: post #41

One thing that stood out to me is that you've applied 3 or 4 times as a solo founder, while acknowledging that YC prefers teams to solo founders. The reason they give for this preference is that "one-person startups are tough and you're more likely to succeed with a cofounder," which seems reasonable to me. Have you tried in earnest to find others to apply with you? If not, why not? This may be the single most import…

I don't need cofounders. Anyone who is married knows just how tough that can be.

The primary reason for which cofounders are useful with a young team is because entrepreneurship is horribly difficult and 20-somethings are not necessarily equipped to deal with this reality. In this context, having more people on the boat makes it less likely that one person absolutely imploding will implode the startup.

I don't have this problem. I have taken stress in business that would cause most people to jump off a bridge or in front of a train.

It's a lot easier for me to hire the help I might need rather than get into a situation where you open yourself up for cofounder strife that can damage the business. Like I said, had it been not for the 2009 economic implosion I would have had a pretty sizable exit for a business I self-funded started and ran from my garage for a couple of years. I did all of the electrical, mechanical, software and optical engineering on the first product. And, when it was done, I packed it all up and flew to Europe to sell it (it just so happened that the first industry conference that year was in Europe). I then built an international sales network consisting of a dozen resellers and got sales going. I did not hire another engineer to help me until I was out of the garage, about two years after launch. I eventually hired assistants, web designer and assembly people as we transitioned from a garage-based outsourced business to manufacturing in house. I setup and ran my own surface mount assembly line as well as CNC shop.

I think it is important to understand why cofounders are important for the younger demographic. I don't see this as a negative, BTW, it is definitely a good idea for YC to favor multi-founder teams given their younger demographic. It is impossible for a 20-something to have the depth and breath of experience as well as the business chops and thick skin someone like me can develop over decades.

Re: Done with YC: Age Discrimination

#75

Post by landemva »

The video chat or video clip easily leads to age discrimination. This is widespread in the tech industry. I had a team of three, aged 50+, lined up to apply for a grant for a crypto project. When I saw requirement for video recording of team, I knew it was not worth any more effort. It was not a video Q&A, it was a recorded video statement for the application. Of course it is racist eerrrr age-ist

Re: Done with YC: Age Discrimination

#76

Post by ipaddr »

blagie wrote: post #38
the-dude wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You seem to have raised money before almost 20 years ago. That sure must help.

That's precisely why being an older person helps. You have experience under your belt. If you're 55 and have never done anything, that's a strong signal to not invest in you, since you're unlikely to do something now. 20-year-olds are risks. 55-year-old have track records.

Very self selective. You can't complain that your age is being used against you and then use other people ages who happen to be yours against them by gatekeeping.. if you haven't done x or raise y before my age that's a strong signal...

In the same manner your age is being used against you.. don't use it against others.

Re: Done with YC: Age Discrimination

#77

Post by whitepaint »

void_mint wrote: post #73
whitepaint wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And now you didn't answer the main question. Just because, let's say, stats showed they mostly invest in people under 35, does it mean they discriminate people over 35? If most of founders they invest in are white, does it mean they discriminate against asians, blacks etc.? What are the appropriate percentages that show no discrimination? 50% of everything? Once again, what proves discrimination? If someone is in for…

I feel like you've begun sealioning. > Just because, let's say, stats showed they mostly invest in people under 35, does it mean they discriminate people over 35? It's about rates, not just raw numbers. If equal amounts of over 35 and under 35 applicants, and consistently YoY you're taking 90% under 35, very clearly you're discriminating against the over 35 category. > If most of founders they invest in are white, do…

> If equal amounts of over 35 and under 35 applicants, and consistently YoY you're taking 90% under 35 ...

Could this scenario happen because of anything else besides discrimination from YC?

Re: Done with YC: Age Discrimination

#78

Post by over50 »

paulsutter wrote: post #4

You've got YC one-itis. There are a zillion other places to raise money. Any one funding source says no 98% of the time, it has nothing to do with you. -a 55 year old founder who just raised a $20M Series A

> You've got YC one-itis. There are a zillion other places to raise money. Any one funding source says no 98% of the time, it has nothing to do with you.

I don't think you read my post. Or, if you did, you didn't understand it. What you are saying has nothing to do with what I said, what I think of YC or anything in my post.

Congrats on raising capital. I never have. It seems you have in the past. Which explains why it might have been easier for you. I have, however closed five million dollar sales with single international customers for the startup I mentioned I self-funded and launched from my garage.

Different paths in life. If it hadn't been for 2008 I would be telling a very different story today. That's just the way things go sometimes.

Re: Done with YC: Age Discrimination

#80

Post by over50 »

skmurphy wrote: post #2

You should put your contact info in your profile or as a comment in this thread. Others, like myself, would like to contact you.

I just did.

I will only reply to messages if it seems a conversation is warranted. I've had the experience on HN and other groups of someone contacting you with something that looks interesting only to identify you and then go away. Not interested in that at all. I hope you understand.

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