Sam Altman is not on YC's board. So why claim to be its chair?

Actually we moderate less, not more, when YC or a YC startup is the story. This is the #1 rule of HN moderation and has been since pg first explained it to me on the morning he started showing me how to moderate HN. If anyone wants to read about this, there are ten years' worth of past explanations here: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu....

It looks like a mod downweighted this story but also saved it, along with your comment, for me to review. Since the rule is the rule, I'm reducing the downweight now. (Edit: I've since checked with the mod and indeed their intention was to follow the same rule - see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40720026.)

This looks like a flimsy story from a couple of months ago about something from many years ago. It's hard to tell if there's any there-there but, given how this sort of story usually works, the odds seem low*. It's obviously getting attention not because of intellectual curiosity (the right reason on HN) but because of celebrity outrage (a popular human pastime but not the right reason on HN). It's also repetitive of many other outrage threads we've had in recent months—an additional reason to downweight it (beyond the outrage aspect). We never let articles like this stay on HN's frontpage normally—if we did, HN would consist of little else.

Still, I'm happy to reduce the downweight on this because that rule is key to the trust we have with the bulk of the community. I think most HN readers know that we moderate shallow outrage stories off the front page, and why; and I think most can appreciate that we bend that rule the other way for the sake of the above principle, even if they don't like it.

It doesn't stop people from making up false claims (edit: I mean about HN moderation, like the parent comment), but it does let us answer them in good conscience, and the rest is just standard internet dynamics (sinister speculation, etc.)

* Note the photo that describes Geoff as YC's "new president". That hasn't been the case for 5 years, and he stopped being president 18 months ago.

"in process to being true"

That's Altman-esque language.

The real problem is that Altman has legitimately destroyed public trust. We already have way too many immature robber barons playing the oligarchy game for the likes of such as him to be positive for society in the end. If he had a conscience, it appears that he's sold it already.

Just the sort of personality type that we need leading the most potentially dangerous new technology in the past 50 years.

> It's hard to tell if there's any there-there but, given how this sort of story usually works, the odds seem low.

Not at all. The source links the relevant SEC filing.

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1849056/000110465921...

On page 111 the false claim is plainly visible:

“ Prior to joining OpenAI, Mr. Altman served as President of Y Combinator from February 2014 until March 2019. Mr. Altman currently serves as the Chairman of the board of directors of Y Combinator.”

There is also a screenshot in the Business Times story showing the false claim was visible on the AltC website in April. You can go to the AltC site and confirm that Sam is CEO.

The story also includes comment from YC confirming that Sam was never chairman after it was announced he would be.

Dang, what is the basis for your comments on this story? The San Francisco Business Times has been a reliable and fairly pro business local source for years. Hardly tabloid journalism. Can you specify and explain one of the “false claims” you allege?