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How Y Combinator Changed the World

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Re: How Y Combinator Changed the World

#101

Post by kingcharles »

taytus wrote: post #6

I’ve applied not less than 7 times to YC. Rejected every time. Some of our customers are multi billion dollar companies. We are profitable, growing and got accepted by their direct competitor. I still believe YC influence is amazing and I have nothing but respect for all the people involved in the program but I like to remind fellows entrepreneurs that any accelerator is just a tool. If you want to build something, n…

Getting backing can be hard, even if your idea is amazing. Often amazing ideas just seem to slip through the cracks. There are plenty of stories of startups that felt like giving up after 99 VC meetings, only to get funding at the 100th one and go on to success.

It's a tough slog, and it takes the founders away from doing the actual work they love, but don't give up. If your idea is good, keep ploughing onwards. I've given up way too easily in the past. It was only once I saw other companies recreate the same idea many years later and then be valued at billions of dollars that I really realized the value of the original idea and the opportunities I'd missed by not dragging myself out of bed to another fundraising meeting.

Re: How Y Combinator Changed the World

#102

Post by Emma_Goldman »

bko wrote: post #94
Emma_Goldman wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AirBnB is an interesting case. On its face it seems socially rational, given that many rooms are unused or heavily under-used, to match them with people who want rooms in that location. The problem is, of course, that it increases rental profiteering, and that it caters to rich international tourists, not residents. Is there a way to enjoy the benefits of AirBnB without those pathologies? Governments, either locally…

> The problem is, of course, that it increases rental profiteering, and that it caters to rich international tourists, not residents. If I have a property, I can choose to let someone stay at my property for money. AirBnB facilitates this. This makes my property valuable as a result. The homeowners benefit as do people who need a place to stay. This is progress and occurs any time anyone creates a product or technolo…

You seem to believe that all market transactions are socially beneficial, whereas I do not. A market transaction might benefit the rational utility of transacting parties despite incurring yet greater harms on third parties. I, like most people, am not a value monist who believes rational utility is the only good, and if we take this yet larger perspective then a very wide range of market transactions create net social harms.

'Renting' in its essence does not involve doing anything: it does not mine resources, manufacture use objects, or provide a service. Rich people buy up scarce assets and then charge a fee for their use. The return has no correlate in any socially useful activity - it is 'profiteering'. AirBnb means it is often more profitable to buy properties and rent them to rich international tourists rather than to locals. This creates the further, perverse effect of pricing out residents from their own cities. Given than I am a democrat and think societies should be run by and for the people, I think this is obviously remiss.

Re: How Y Combinator Changed the World

#103

Post by bko »

Emma_Goldman wrote: post #102
bko wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The problem is, of course, that it increases rental profiteering, and that it caters to rich international tourists, not residents. If I have a property, I can choose to let someone stay at my property for money. AirBnB facilitates this. This makes my property valuable as a result. The homeowners benefit as do people who need a place to stay. This is progress and occurs any time anyone creates a product or technolo…

You seem to believe that all market transactions are socially beneficial, whereas I do not. A market transaction might benefit the rational utility of transacting parties despite incurring yet greater harms on third parties. I, like most people, am not a value monist who believes rational utility is the only good, and if we take this yet larger perspective then a very wide range of market transactions create net soci…

>'Renting' in its essence does not involve doing anything: it does not mine resources, manufacture use objects, or provide a service. Rich people buy up scarce assets and then charge a fee for their use.

So if someone doesn't have enough accumulated capital or credit to buy a property to live in, tough luck. You can't legally rent from someone. I guess rely on charity or sleep on the streets? Seems unreasonable.

Re: How Y Combinator Changed the World

#104

Post by Emma_Goldman »

bko wrote: post #103
Emma_Goldman wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You seem to believe that all market transactions are socially beneficial, whereas I do not. A market transaction might benefit the rational utility of transacting parties despite incurring yet greater harms on third parties. I, like most people, am not a value monist who believes rational utility is the only good, and if we take this yet larger perspective then a very wide range of market transactions create net soci…

>'Renting' in its essence does not involve doing anything: it does not mine resources, manufacture use objects, or provide a service. Rich people buy up scarce assets and then charge a fee for their use. So if someone doesn't have enough accumulated capital or credit to buy a property to live in, tough luck. You can't legally rent from someone. I guess rely on charity or sleep on the streets? Seems unreasonable.

What a strange way of conversing with people. I never suggested that and you must know that I don't think it, so why say it? It shows bad faith.

I think that ceteris paribus the lower housing rents are the better. How to help bring that about is an interesting policy question. I suspect that socialisation is the best option, but increasing the stock and rent controls could work.

If we return to the specific case of AirBnb and my original suggestion, the aim would be twofold:

1. Limit AirBnb rentals to reorientate the housing stock away from rich international tourists to locals.

2. Tax AirBnb rentals to subsidise local housing.

I would point out that Barcelona has already done (1).

Re: How Y Combinator Changed the World

#105

Post by amusedcyclist »

Msw242 wrote: post #55
amusedcyclist wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think just modern computing in general replaced those not dropbox or stripe in particular

Interface design absolutely matters. The iPod wasn't the first handheld digital media player, but they changed the world with interface design.

I agree that it matters, but google drive/ ms word are both significantly more important than dropbox in terms of moving paperwork to computers
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