Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications • Hacker News Board

Re: Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications

#51

Post by vaksel » Wed, Oct 28, 2009, 8:41 PM UTC

abstractbill wrote: post #36

vaksel wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Actually it's really not. At justin.tv we already have a list as long as my arm of great ideas that we don't have time to implement. Seeing a few more great ideas from a potential competitor wouldn't make much difference to us in my opinion.

that's probably true, hell Yahoo told Google to go screw themselves when they offered to sell them their tech.

But the things asked in the application make you get pretty specific. Most people have trouble doing that for investors, let alone potential competitors.

+ it's not like they were told this before hand. They wrote the applications, thinking that pg and his team would review them.

Re: Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications

#52

Post by tianaco » Wed, Oct 28, 2009, 8:42 PM UTC

adrianwaj wrote: post #48

tianaco wrote: post #41

I feel like this is going to work against me - in a really serious way. First of all, I really liked knowing that I had a one in three chance of a woman, Jessica Livingston, reading my application. I liked how the application felt like a college application; they judge you based upon your potential and what you've done in your circumstances, not like an investor who says: "What experience and traction do you have?".…

You've been on HN for 8 days. Imagine you were on it for 800 days, and then take your average comment mark, that's how you'll rank regardless of what makes you you.

long time lurker, short time commenter

Re: Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications

#53

Post by quellhorst » Wed, Oct 28, 2009, 8:43 PM UTC

It looks like many people are scared of someone stealing their ideas. Startups are not a zero sum game, we can all create wealth.

Also, if you are scared someone else will out execute you on your own idea maybe you need work on your execution and dedication.

Re: Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications

#54

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Oct 28, 2009, 8:43 PM UTC

pg wrote: post #7

jpwagner wrote: post #3

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.

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 ba…

[deleted]

Re: Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications

#55

Post by tianaco » Wed, Oct 28, 2009, 8:45 PM UTC

crystalis wrote: post #47

tianaco wrote: post #41

I feel like this is going to work against me - in a really serious way. First of all, I really liked knowing that I had a one in three chance of a woman, Jessica Livingston, reading my application. I liked how the application felt like a college application; they judge you based upon your potential and what you've done in your circumstances, not like an investor who says: "What experience and traction do you have?".…

I feel like this is going to work against me - in a really serious way. Perhaps because of the chip on your shoulder? Edit: Your concern of being judged poorly by the alumni screeners is showing the same bias you expect the screeners to have. Do you really expect a small cohort of people who have made it through multiple levels of PG vetting to be so small-minded? YC hasn't shown itself to be so lacking in vision.

I expect them for better or for worse to reinforce what they've already seen at y-combinator.

As I said, I don't think they're going to relate to me.

Re: Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications

#56

Post by fjabre » Wed, Oct 28, 2009, 8:47 PM UTC

tianaco wrote: post #45

tianaco wrote: post #41

I feel like this is going to work against me - in a really serious way. First of all, I really liked knowing that I had a one in three chance of a woman, Jessica Livingston, reading my application. I liked how the application felt like a college application; they judge you based upon your potential and what you've done in your circumstances, not like an investor who says: "What experience and traction do you have?".…

I know it's verboten to talk about HN on HN, but it's fun clicking refresh and watching people upvote and downvote my comment. Talking about male prejudice in the tech community really gets under people's skin, including my cofounder bravura who said that maybe I shouldn't have posted and rankled people.

Yes, you're correct: people don't like being accused of being prejudice, especially in a community like this which prides itself on being open minded.

Your gender isn't important here. Whether or not you're an entrepreneur with a plan, is.

EDIT: This discussion really belongs in another thread.

Re: Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications

#57

Post by antonovka » Wed, Oct 28, 2009, 8:47 PM UTC

tianaco wrote: post #41

I feel like this is going to work against me - in a really serious way. First of all, I really liked knowing that I had a one in three chance of a woman, Jessica Livingston, reading my application. I liked how the application felt like a college application; they judge you based upon your potential and what you've done in your circumstances, not like an investor who says: "What experience and traction do you have?".…

I know that there are VERY FEW female YC founders and I know that having male coders looking at my application is going to totally work against me, if for no other reason than they don't relate to me.

Individuals tend to internalize negatives. If you tell them that they aren't going to relate to you because they're men, they're going to internalize that and have trouble relating to you.

There is plenty of overt and veiled sexism in technology -- much of it, you can't control. However, if you come into every scenario projecting an assumption of sexism, that's likely what you'll always find.

Re: Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications

#58

Post by jnaut » Wed, Oct 28, 2009, 8:49 PM UTC

Well, this seems like an 11th hour announcement, many of the applicants might not be watching HN at the moment and may not be able to exercise their right to "unapply" before the deadline.

But those are problems for the fainthearts who get deterred with this kinda announcement.

For the rest of the bravehearts its 'ok', they should feel like they are at day 1 on the market and its all bare now. Just that they should gear up for a much quicker launch in case of a possible rejection, which they anywayz should be - "hope for the best and be prepared for the rest/worst".

Let's face it, trustworthiness, bias, plagiarism and wisdom are all human traits.

@PG: Just a thought from a novice. This kinda late announcements/disclosure may taint YC's image like those "conditions apply" advertisements. An announcement early on would be better. I hope you are not doing this intentionally as a first filter for the applicants and hence reduce the load of applications automatically.

Re: Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications

#59

Post by bravura » Wed, Oct 28, 2009, 8:49 PM UTC

crystalis wrote: post #47

tianaco wrote: post #41

I feel like this is going to work against me - in a really serious way. First of all, I really liked knowing that I had a one in three chance of a woman, Jessica Livingston, reading my application. I liked how the application felt like a college application; they judge you based upon your potential and what you've done in your circumstances, not like an investor who says: "What experience and traction do you have?".…

I feel like this is going to work against me - in a really serious way. Perhaps because of the chip on your shoulder? Edit: Your concern of being judged poorly by the alumni screeners is showing the same bias you expect the screeners to have. Do you really expect a small cohort of people who have made it through multiple levels of PG vetting to be so small-minded? YC hasn't shown itself to be so lacking in vision.

Everyone has biases. Theorems in machine learning show that you cannot generalize to new circumstance without bias. "Without the aid of prejudice and custom, I should not be able to find my way across the room." --William Hazlitt

tianaco is just saying that she worries that YC alumni will have the wrong bias when confronted with certain applicants of broad experience outside what they expect. Let's hope that she is wrong.

Re: Announcement: YC alumni will help us read applications

#60

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Oct 28, 2009, 8:50 PM UTC

tianaco wrote: post #45

tianaco wrote: post #41

I feel like this is going to work against me - in a really serious way. First of all, I really liked knowing that I had a one in three chance of a woman, Jessica Livingston, reading my application. I liked how the application felt like a college application; they judge you based upon your potential and what you've done in your circumstances, not like an investor who says: "What experience and traction do you have?".…

I know it's verboten to talk about HN on HN, but it's fun clicking refresh and watching people upvote and downvote my comment. Talking about male prejudice in the tech community really gets under people's skin, including my cofounder bravura who said that maybe I shouldn't have posted and rankled people.

[deleted]