I got into YC Startup School by hacking it
1–10 of 81 posts
Re: I got into YC Startup School by hacking it
#2> I uncovered Y Combinator was scoring 100k+ founders around the world through Paxel
Alright, my ears are wide open. Tell us more, how did YC use the private submission data from thousands of founders to score them? They fed some 3rd-Party AI all personal data to score who should get an interview? I can't be the only one here seeing a bad news story unfolding in real time...
Re: I got into YC Startup School by hacking it
#3> YC wanted me to use something called Paxel on my computer as part of the application.
> I should run a script, a very easy-to-use cURL one-liner that installed something on my computer and analyzed every line of code I’ve written with a coding agent, compile a report, and upload it to YC’s servers.
Yikes! I hope this is NOT the future of hiring.
Re: I got into YC Startup School by hacking it
#4paxel and how it works sounds so dumb.
so i’m not at all surprised at how it is used and by whom.
Re: I got into YC Startup School by hacking it
#5I could be mistaken, but isn't Paxel a tool that YC *itself* built to understand how founders/applicants apply AI? If so, this feels less scary than some of the comments (i.e. not 3rd party).
Also, not trying to take shots, but should the title be "I got into YC Startup School by hacking it" instead? Isn't that different than the main YC program?
All in all, you did them a solid by finding and responsibly disclosing. Nice job.
Re: I got into YC Startup School by hacking it
#6> YC wanted me to use something called Paxel on my computer as part of the application. > I should run a script, a very easy-to-use cURL one-liner that installed something on my computer and analyzed every line of code I’ve written with a coding agent, compile a report, and upload it to YC’s servers. Yikes! I hope this is NOT the future of hiring.
its for G brain types
you wouldn’t understand
Re: I got into YC Startup School by hacking it
#7> YC wanted me to use something called Paxel on my computer as part of the application. > I should run a script, a very easy-to-use cURL one-liner that installed something on my computer and analyzed every line of code I’ve written with a coding agent, compile a report, and upload it to YC’s servers. Yikes! I hope this is NOT the future of hiring.
It can't possibly be an inevitable future. Something this would be super easy to game.
From their perspective, it's code running on an untrusted third person/adversary's computer... If only last 40 years of computer history could be any guide as to what might go wrong here ..
Re: I got into YC Startup School by hacking it
#8> YC wanted me to use something called Paxel on my computer as part of the application. > I should run a script, a very easy-to-use cURL one-liner that installed something on my computer and analyzed every line of code I’ve written with a coding agent, compile a report, and upload it to YC’s servers. Yikes! I hope this is NOT the future of hiring.
Everytime you think this it will be. Let's go back to analog.
Re: I got into YC Startup School by hacking it
#9> YC wanted me to use something called Paxel on my computer as part of the application. > I should run a script, a very easy-to-use cURL one-liner that installed something on my computer and analyzed every line of code I’ve written with a coding agent, compile a report, and upload it to YC’s servers. Yikes! I hope this is NOT the future of hiring.
It can't possibly be an inevitable future. Something this would be super easy to game. From their perspective, it's code running on an untrusted third person/adversary's computer... If only last 40 years of computer history could be any guide as to what might go wrong here ..
most VCs aren’t founders and those who are ex-founders usually made pretty terrible companies. very few exceptions. actually i can think of only one.
but once you have some money (like >5m which is achievable), you can throw it around a bit and you just need a handful of success stories built by someone actually talented.
then you take credit for it and craft a narrative instead, which is easier just like collecting management fees instead of building something yourself.
Re: I got into YC Startup School by hacking it
#10> YC wanted me to use something called Paxel on my computer as part of the application. > I should run a script, a very easy-to-use cURL one-liner that installed something on my computer and analyzed every line of code I’ve written with a coding agent, compile a report, and upload it to YC’s servers. Yikes! I hope this is NOT the future of hiring.
its for G brain types you wouldn’t understand
For those like me who didn't understand the reference: https://github.com/garrytan/gbrain