Y'all YCs live in a bubble, on multiple levels, and it's funny to watch the temperature go up.
Y Combinator and Power in Silicon Valley
41–50 of 179 posts
Re: Y Combinator and Power in Silicon Valley
#42Commoncog hits a home run again. This is fascinating. It is more Suits than Suits. Showing how strategy > law when fighting a case. But also the interesting fraternity (not all boys of course) that YC is. Feels like the only other place you would see it is organized crime or corrupt politics where you then owe a favour. But that isn't what it is here. I guess it is about honour.
It's not particularly interesting. YC relies on people who leave their employers to found startups. Companies tend not to like employees leaving to start their own companies and often sue them over it, which is 99% of the time meritless and nothing more than bullying. It is in YC's interest to use its resources to prevent this bullying because it both sends the signal to other companies that they would be unwise to try to bully a YC startup and to potential founders that if they join YC they will be protected.
Re: Y Combinator and Power in Silicon Valley
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I always find it interesting That's not interesting. That's not understanding capitalism. It's all about Incentives. The idea that business leaders can be ever considered genuine political or cultural voice or actor is the problem. Silicon Valley and hacker culture has created an atmosphere of business politicians and for some reason hackers take them seriously and don't laugh at their faces. The talk is just empty…
If I have the choice of people from my industry or people not from my industry why would I ever choose the latter?
You can choose people AND understand that they care only about money and not take their political talk seriously.
Re: Y Combinator and Power in Silicon Valley
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I always find it interesting That's not interesting. That's not understanding capitalism. It's all about Incentives. The idea that business leaders can be ever considered genuine political or cultural voice or actor is the problem. Silicon Valley and hacker culture has created an atmosphere of business politicians and for some reason hackers take them seriously and don't laugh at their faces. The talk is just empty…
The veil will come off now with the second Trump administration. Everyone knows what's coming, and CEOs already changed tone.
There is also this thing that is very specific to Silicon Valley parties, you may have some dirt on some VC partners or the other way around.
This also affects the dynamics of the regular business, it's not right, nor fair, and outright disgusting, though sadly happening.
Will the administration go to the point that they will investigate such ? I doubt it, it's too risky for the economy.
Re: Y Combinator and Power in Silicon Valley
#45The way YC closed ranks was my favorite anecdote from Chaos Monkey’s. I always find it interesting though YC leaders are extremely against cancel culture, but when it comes to business, its okay to threaten that someone will never work in the valley again if they don’t accede to their demands.
> I always find it interesting That's not interesting. That's not understanding capitalism. It's all about Incentives. The idea that business leaders can be ever considered genuine political or cultural voice or actor is the problem. Silicon Valley and hacker culture has created an atmosphere of business politicians and for some reason hackers take them seriously and don't laugh at their faces. The talk is just empty…
Disagree. Social ideals are fundamentally part of business for the majority of human existence. As someone else mentioned, the east india company most definitely had social goals baked into it.
Socially agnostic ideals for firms is relatively recent, and entirely good for business. Perhaps from the “greed is good” days of laissez faire policy.
The limits of those policies were found and society has learned a new tool to make its desires known - by being vocal customers.
Re: Y Combinator and Power in Silicon Valley
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I always find it interesting That's not interesting. That's not understanding capitalism. It's all about Incentives. The idea that business leaders can be ever considered genuine political or cultural voice or actor is the problem. Silicon Valley and hacker culture has created an atmosphere of business politicians and for some reason hackers take them seriously and don't laugh at their faces. The talk is just empty…
> The idea that business leaders can be ever considered genuine political or cultural voice or actor is the problem. Silicon Valley and hacker culture has created an atmosphere of business politicians and for some reason hackers take them seriously and don't laugh at their faces. > Traditionally business people don't get into discussions of culture or politics directly. They might work in the background, but never di…
I did not speak against using money to get political power. Your examples honest power plays. Using raw power to benefit themself.
This was about propaganda and criticism of those who believe it.
Re: Y Combinator and Power in Silicon Valley
#47The way YC closed ranks was my favorite anecdote from Chaos Monkey’s. I always find it interesting though YC leaders are extremely against cancel culture, but when it comes to business, its okay to threaten that someone will never work in the valley again if they don’t accede to their demands.
The only consistency you'll find in business and politics is self-interest - perceived or real.
Re: Y Combinator and Power in Silicon Valley
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not because of YC. I think that what people say here, is only a fairly small data point, for them. But I would encourage folks to consider their approach, in general, whenever we are in a professional context (and, despite the casual nature of HN, this is very much a “professional context”). I think that some few people here, are able to post in a truly anonymous fashion, but most folks could be doxxed fairly easily,…
I think it's important to distinguish between two directions here: 1) can someone figure out who I am based on my profile and 2) can someone find my profile if they know who I am. I care much more about the second, because the odds of someone attempting the second are much higher.
Well, back when I was looking for work, a couple of companies asked for my HN handle (actually, it's one of the reasons that I got an account, here).
It was fairly obvious, that I would not be considered, if I didn't have one.
Re: Y Combinator and Power in Silicon Valley
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
I disagree. There's no principle involved. It's all polarized partisan politics. Your "particularly dysfunctional" is extremely in the eye of the beholder. The rich and powerful silicon valley CEO/VC guys tearing the country apart over their woke crusade are just as ideologically irrational as the next twitter blue check.
This. If you believe for one second that money and power hungry people have any kind of principles, you have not been paying attention. Cancel culture, woke, left, right, center, free speech – they will say whatever to get what they want on these topics, and change their opinion the next day without any real consequences. Welcome to late-stage capitalism.
> Welcome to late-stage capitalism.
Good reads/resources about this? I started reading "What's Our Problem" [1] but find it difficult to find "non-partisan" resources nowadays.
[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102146148-what-s-our-pro...
Re: Y Combinator and Power in Silicon Valley
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The idea that business leaders can be ever considered genuine political or cultural voice or actor is the problem. Silicon Valley and hacker culture has created an atmosphere of business politicians and for some reason hackers take them seriously and don't laugh at their faces. > Traditionally business people don't get into discussions of culture or politics directly. They might work in the background, but never di…
I did not speak against using money to get political power. Your examples honest power plays. Using raw power to benefit themself. This was about propaganda and criticism of those who believe it.
The examples were not honest at the time. They only seem so to you through the lens of history. You think the banana companies plainly said "we want to change the government, kill any opposition if necessary, just to make more money"? That's just our view now. Because there's nothing more to be gained from clouding the issue. They made the money, time has passed, there's no way to reach back and change anything. At the time, they pretended they had other reasons, to get support from people who didn't understand the situation. Just like it happens now.