Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications

We've recruited some YC alumni to help us read applications, starting with this cycle. They've agreed to (a) stop reading any application that seems like it will compete with something their startup is doing or plans to, and (b) keep stuff in applications confidential.

These are people we know and trust, so we doubt there will be any problems. But since we didn't tell people about this before they applied (we are in fact still organizing it), we're giving anyone who wants to the opportunity to unapply. If you want to have your application deleted, just email me (pg@ycombinator.com).

Also, in case anyone didn't know, the deadline for applying is tonight at 10 Pacific.

Make sure you actually submit your application, using the submit or resubmit button on http://news.ycombinator.com/apply, or we won't consider it. (If you don't see a submit/resubmit button on that page, it's been submitted.) Every cycle a few people who probably meant to apply forget to actually submit their application after editing it.

Edit: Since a lot of people seem to be worried about this, the alumni are reading the applications in addition to us, not instead of us. Our goal is to ensure that we don't overlook promising applications. If we give an application a low rating but it gets high marks from alumni, we'll give it a second look.

While I personally don't have a problem with this, I can fathom how some would.

What about (1) announcing who is reading and (2) allowing applicants to specify who should NOT read their application.

Just a thought, there should probably be some more thought on this kind of privacy/conflict since they will not be investors and I'm assuming you will make this standard procedure.

Will this, or the extended application deadline, affect Nov. 5th feedback date?

I'd rather make the system based on trusting people.

Also, paranoia about secrecy is one of our selection criteria. E.g. every cycle there are a few applications that say they won't tell us any details about what they're doing without an NDA. We thereupon instantly hit "next." People who think their startup's success is going to follow from their immensely valuable secret idea are disproportionately likely to have bad ideas. I'm guessing it will be similar in this case, and that anyone who would be freaked out by YC alumni reading their application is probably someone we wouldn't have funded anyway.

agreed, investors reading something is no big deal, since they aren't going to go out and use your ideas. A possible competitor reading it is a whole other story all together.