How hard is the 1 minute limit on the video? Is it a big deal if the video is 2 minutes? Some things might take a bit of time to really explain.
Not a hard limit.
YC 120
111–120 of 145 posts
Re: YC 120
#112> What are you interested in and what are you working on? I'm working on liberating child students trapped by coercive institutions. Inmates have a reason for their incarceration, but students are trapped through no fault of their own. Unlike students, inmates in prison have the luxury of choosing what they read. > What have you done so far that shows your potential for greatness, adjusted for whatever life circumsta…
Just FYI, as someone who also considers schools to be coercive institutions, "schools are more unjust than prison" is a hugely unconvincing pitch. I'd advise you to frame it another way.
Re: YC 120
#113So I actually think the _idea_ sounds interesting, but this is what sticks out to me: > We’ll invite about 100 people who could use more of a network... >What have you done so far that shows your potential for greatness, adjusted for whatever life circumstances you were born into? To do something great that shows potential, you've probably already built a decent network, so I guess the value add is a network with muc…
Can there be a nomination process
YC/HN is for startups. You don't need to wait for permission to do something. If you want to nominate someone great, I would just email that person to encourage them to apply. Done.
Re: YC 120
#114The real question is, do I want to be in a room with 99 other people who wanted to be selected for this so much that they produced a video with answers to these questions? This whole thing is self-selecting for they type of person I'd rather not be having dinner with. YC produces a ton of great resources that are very helpful, but this is one that makes me scratch my head.
> do I want to be in a room with 99 other people who wanted to be selected for this so much that they produced a video with answers to these questions? No value to meeting any of these people? Even if just for future contacts that could be beneficial or ideas? I am not seeing much downside to this at all. If I had the time I'd fly out on my own dime and just hang around and 'press the flesh'.
I share the parent's sentiment. I don't expect everyone to share this opinion, but personally I think of it like applying for a job at a big management consultancy. Do I want to do a bunch of stupid shit and pretend to be a "thought leader" so that I can expand my network to include a bunch of people who don't share my belief that the interview process is such a lot of stupid shit that it's not worth doing?
Re: YC 120
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
What type of person is that? I'm honestly at a loss because it asks for nothing more than a simple narrative for why this opportunity fits the candidate, where the complexity of the video can be "turn on my phone's front camera and recorded for 60 seconds". Is that a type of person? Is it a bad type of person? I don't understand the insinuation.
Many cultures/subcultures/microcultures place high value on being humble. This is the exact opposite of humble, it's blatant self-promotion. That's not necessarily a bad thing, in fact it's very much required in business, in interviews, in admissions, etc. But it does rub against those cultures who value humility and frown upon self-promotion. As an example I grew up in a poor farming town in the Midwest. Everyone dr…
isn't that one of the reasons you get a bmw, to exude class and status? otherwise, there are plenty of other sports sedans you could get, like a ford fusion sport or something, that embody different social messaging.
this isn't a critique of your choice of cars, but your reaction is interesting. some people in that situation would have their ego boosted. others would't care much either way. but this clash of cultural values seems to be a point of contention.
with that said, we each find our own balance between braggart and self-effacing behavior. neither extreme is particularly ideal. being social is all about negotiating esteem with each other if anything.
Re: YC 120
#116“Finally solving Physics?” Yikes.
Yeah that is laughable lol
Re: YC 120
#117Re: YC 120
#118The real question is, do I want to be in a room with 99 other people who wanted to be selected for this so much that they produced a video with answers to these questions? This whole thing is self-selecting for they type of person I'd rather not be having dinner with. YC produces a ton of great resources that are very helpful, but this is one that makes me scratch my head.
Anecdotally, having gone through some selective institutions, I've seen this more than a couple times (though maybe this also says something about myself too...). My unfounded theory is that gatekeepers (e.g. admissions, HR) are inherently fool-able because they don't live the 'greatness' in candidates they seek to find. As a result, while most who get in have traits correlated with future success, others are simply…
My first criteria would be show everyone the door that thought they could "finally solve physics."
Re: YC 120
#119The real question is, do I want to be in a room with 99 other people who wanted to be selected for this so much that they produced a video with answers to these questions? This whole thing is self-selecting for they type of person I'd rather not be having dinner with. YC produces a ton of great resources that are very helpful, but this is one that makes me scratch my head.
Anecdotally, having gone through some selective institutions, I've seen this more than a couple times (though maybe this also says something about myself too...). My unfounded theory is that gatekeepers (e.g. admissions, HR) are inherently fool-able because they don't live the 'greatness' in candidates they seek to find. As a result, while most who get in have traits correlated with future success, others are simply…
In other places YC has described this as bullshitting and their answer is Jessica. They claim (at least publicly) that she significantly shifts the ratio to favor people with real skill over those who are good at advertising it.
http://foundersatwork.posthaven.com/the-social-radar-what-i-...
Re: YC 120
#120“Finally solving Physics?” Yikes.
How can physics be solved?
As Asimov asked it, "How can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?"[0]