Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a Mac only widget?
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Re: Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a Mac only widget?
#2“Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a backup app you can already build such yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem”
Re: Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a Mac only widget?
#3Although I had similar thoughts, one always needs to keep an open mind about what it can grow into.
In the thread, it was obvious that for some people it would alleviate a pain : keeping track of synchronous events across multiple platforms.
Re: Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a Mac only widget?
#4My conclusion also, judging from a few latest Launch HN's that are prone to be featurized by the competition instead of building an ecosystem. Or being a good idea, but without a unicorn potential even if you strech your imagination. But I guess they only care about successful exits at a valuation that will make return on their investment.
Or they may see what we mere mortals can't see.
Re: Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a Mac only widget?
#5“Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a backup app you can already build such yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem”
Sure, the Dropbox comment will never stop being a meme.
But in a world where, for example, a competing product like Fantastical already exists, costs less and does more, it does seem valid to be wondering what is going on.
Re: Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a Mac only widget?
#6Linked HN discussion, in which people were already (IMO rightfully so) very critical of the product:
Re: Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a Mac only widget?
#7Although I had similar thoughts, one always needs to keep an open mind about what it can grow into. In the thread, it was obvious that for some people it would alleviate a pain : keeping track of synchronous events across multiple platforms.
> one always needs to keep an open mind about what it can grow into.
Why? There's no shortage of more serious and productive problems to solve.
Re: Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a Mac only widget?
#8“Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a backup app you can already build such yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem”
I don't think it's fair to compare a way to seamlessly move data around with "We’re building a calendar app for the Mac menu bar."
Re: Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a Mac only widget?
#9Paul Graham: Startups at the begginning are alot more fragile than people think. It may be the case they've very little to show.
I'm not seeing some tipping point here. YC has always had startups that were a bit funny or outright weak sounding -- their investment strategy pretty much means the idea must initially sound bad in the pitch. They're aiming for things that are counter intutitive to give them an advantage.
Re: Has Y Combinator lost its way when the latest company is a Mac only widget?
#10Although I had similar thoughts, one always needs to keep an open mind about what it can grow into. In the thread, it was obvious that for some people it would alleviate a pain : keeping track of synchronous events across multiple platforms.
Step 1, get into the menu bar
Step 2, ads!
Though in seriousness, YC has said it is more about funding people than specific projects. And who knows where this lands on the path to the destination.