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We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

biddingforgood.com

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Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#31

Post by TrainedMonkey »

pg wrote: post #18

Since there will no doubt be a lot of the predictable complaint that this gives an advantage to the kids of people rich enough to buy it, I want to make it clear that this auction is to fund scholarships to the Bing nursery school. Since going to Bing helps kids a lot more than going to a YC dinner would, it's a net win for parents with less money. We knew when we decided to offer this item for auction that people wo…

"No good deed goes unpunished". I feel really sorry that current state of affairs requires you to make this disclosure for donating something.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#32

Post by anateus »

michaelochurch wrote: post #29
selmnoo wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, for goodness' sake. You could have made a legitimate point if you hadn't been so abruptly cut-throat. The fact of the matter is that connections, luck, etc. rule pretty much everywhere. It's useless and unproductive to cast this blame to specific, ultimately small entities. If I had been born about 5 miles north of where I was born -- in the ghettos, vs. to a household that valued education, I would have been liv…

I actually tend to like YC and the people it funds. They started with a noble mission, which was to provide access to funding for a larger set of people. I'd say that 75% of the YC founders I know are quality people. I do think that Silicon Valley's arrogance and general out-of-touch attitude-- and unashamedly handing out VC connections to children who already benefit from a massive private welfare system is pretty d…

Did you read pg's clarification that's now at the top, and does it change your feelings about this particular instance?

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#34

Post by Samuel_Michon »

pg wrote: post #18

Since there will no doubt be a lot of the predictable complaint that this gives an advantage to the kids of people rich enough to buy it, I want to make it clear that this auction is to fund scholarships to the Bing nursery school. Since going to Bing helps kids a lot more than going to a YC dinner would, it's a net win for parents with less money. We knew when we decided to offer this item for auction that people wo…

“Bing was constructed as a laboratory school with a grant from the National Science Foundation and a gift from Dr. Peter S. Bing and his mother, Mrs. Anna Bing Arnold.”

I’m glad I went on DDG before assuming Microsoft paid to name a nursery school after its advertising business.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#35

Post by conanbatt »

Segmentation wrote: post #16
michaelochurch wrote: post #12

This idea that parents can buy YC connections for their kids is the final nail in the coffin of the idea of Silicon Valley meritocracy.

People with money have an advantage over people without money. News at 11.

No need to make that disadvantage deeper by contributing to it.

I also find selling connection-potential to be as anti-meritocratic as you can be.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#36

Post by marklittlewood »

Well intentioned probably. Full of suck though. Let's face it, if Y Combinator can't fund a few scholarships for whatever school it wants to, it isn't the most successful incubator in the world, or whatever it is. It can and it should it it wants to. Drawing attention to it like this seems remarkably gauche.

This seems to implicitly support the 'poor' in a rather patronising way. Rich person pays for kid to come to dinner. Poor person gets gift of education.

Wonder who would bid if it was rich person gets to pay for poor person's kid to go to dinner and rich kid gets 0?

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#37

Post by namenotrequired »

michaelochurch wrote: post #29
selmnoo wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, for goodness' sake. You could have made a legitimate point if you hadn't been so abruptly cut-throat. The fact of the matter is that connections, luck, etc. rule pretty much everywhere. It's useless and unproductive to cast this blame to specific, ultimately small entities. If I had been born about 5 miles north of where I was born -- in the ghettos, vs. to a household that valued education, I would have been liv…

I actually tend to like YC and the people it funds. They started with a noble mission, which was to provide access to funding for a larger set of people. I'd say that 75% of the YC founders I know are quality people. I do think that Silicon Valley's arrogance and general out-of-touch attitude-- and unashamedly handing out VC connections to children who already benefit from a massive private welfare system is pretty d…

They started with a noble mission, which was to provide access to funding for a larger set of people.

I'm simply curious, did you mean to imply that this is something of the past?

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#38

Post by larrys »

TrainedMonkey wrote: post #31
pg wrote: post #18

Since there will no doubt be a lot of the predictable complaint that this gives an advantage to the kids of people rich enough to buy it, I want to make it clear that this auction is to fund scholarships to the Bing nursery school. Since going to Bing helps kids a lot more than going to a YC dinner would, it's a net win for parents with less money. We knew when we decided to offer this item for auction that people wo…

"No good deed goes unpunished". I feel really sorry that current state of affairs requires you to make this disclosure for donating something.

No more than when someone needs to say "with all due respect" before offering criticism. It's a prophylactic way of acknowledging the reality of what some people will think (which would be valid as they might jump to conclusions) and warding or dulling the harshness.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#39

Post by swalkergibson »

pg wrote: post #18

Since there will no doubt be a lot of the predictable complaint that this gives an advantage to the kids of people rich enough to buy it, I want to make it clear that this auction is to fund scholarships to the Bing nursery school. Since going to Bing helps kids a lot more than going to a YC dinner would, it's a net win for parents with less money. We knew when we decided to offer this item for auction that people wo…

Do you feel that the concerns expressed are not legitimate? If attending Bing is more beneficial than a YC dinner, why not make an unconditional donation to Bing and then open up these dinners to teenagers willing to apply/write an essay for them, regardless of ability to pay? It would have the added benefit of self-selecting out those people whose parents think it is a good idea for them to go to such a dinner and reserve it for only those who are interested.

Obviously, any donation to Bing is better than no donation to Bing, and the reality is that it probably is a net win for the parents with less money, but it seems like it could be even better refined and ensure that there are fewer cheap-shots like in the thread below.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#40

Post by larrys »

TheMakeA wrote: post #5

As a 22 year old, I'd happily give $1000 to go to a YC dinner.

What would be interesting is if you could elaborate on a) where you would get the $1000 and how significant $1000 is to you personally (vs. whatever your assets are) b) what you would hope to gain by paying $1000 and doing this that you could get by being creative and not spending the money.
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