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LOL just got kicked out of @ycombinator

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Re: LOL just got kicked out of @ycombinator

#261

Post by dang »

minimaxir wrote: post #68
saltedonion wrote: post #19

I’m confused. So YC kicked out the guy who complained about it on Twitter and not the people who advocated for lying to skip lines? Wtf?

Per the tweet replies, Paul Biggar's company that YC funded has been defunct, so that likely makes YC's calculus to remove him easier (optics aside).

FWIW I don't think that would much affect the decision. In past similar cases, where the startup wasn't defunct, YC has divested.

I've never been part of any such decision, but I do know YC and the people who have to make such decisions, and from what I've seen they'd be reasoning from first principles or at least trying to.

Re: LOL just got kicked out of @ycombinator

#262

Post by dalbasal »

jakelazaroff wrote: post #239
dalbasal wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose the term is used in lots of way. For the most part though, it means getting fired/etc. over something that is unrelated to your work, rather than breaking a (literal or assumed) work rule. I think it'd be more cancel culture to fire the other guy. He did something bad that isn't related to YC's rules, but maybe shows poor morals.

That’s not a distinction I hear a lot of people make. Andrew Cuomo used “cancel culture” to describe calls for his resignation in the wake of sexual assault allegations. The owner of a horse also used it to describe his suspension after the horse failed a drug test. People said it was “cancel culture” when the estate of Dr. Seuss decided to stop publishing some of his books. But even if there is a line, it’s really b…

Sure. Once words have the kind of buzz that cancel culture does, they get used tactically and the meaning blurs... or evolves. "Fake news" was used very differently circa 2015-2016.

I don't think we're quite there yet though. The horse guy was also widely ridiculed for calling it cancel culture. In any case, I don't think the expanded usage is what pg had in mind, and that's what's relevant here.

Kicking out paul might be too severe, but it's not "cancel culture," in the reevant sense of the term.

Re: LOL just got kicked out of @ycombinator

#263

Post by TechBro8615 »

angry_octet wrote: post #66
minimaxir wrote: post #10

The person who the original tweet was referring to (it's not private; they admitted it), just tweeted a GIF about "witnessing karma". https://twitter.com/Prafulfillment/status/140093402468041523... EDIT: Reply on HN by the author: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27400221

It has a real "snitches get stiches" vibe to it. You have no expectation of privacy if you announce (let alone advocate for, or instruct how-to) behaviour against public health policy _during_a_pandemic_. The contrast with people who have been working hard to match people with appointments couldn't be more stark.

It increases my respect for YC knowing that they would kick a member out of the club for airing another's dirty laundry.

Re: LOL just got kicked out of @ycombinator

#264

Post by jamesbfb »

Not sure what the deal is in the US, but in Melbourne, Australia (a week prior to our current lockdown) I managed to get my Pfizer jab as a walk in, even though I do not meet the eligibility criteria. At that point, some vaccination centres were allowing all walk ins due to the lack of (eligible) people wanting the vaccine here. Obviously lockdown 4.0 has changed that, and now everyone wants a jab.v

Re: LOL just got kicked out of @ycombinator

#265

Post by MattGaiser »

rafaelero wrote: post #18

It's a bit distressing how organizations try so hard to keep a good reputation all the time. I mean, is it really that bad to publically admit that you are composed of people with questionable morals? For example, in the first company I used to work, I was always bitching about how things could improve. I got fired because I was "bringing the moral down" and was "working against the company". I could see why they wou…

Because the reaction to organizations that don't is extremely harsh and any small incident can blow dramatically out of proportion.

Re: LOL just got kicked out of @ycombinator

#266

Post by andrew_ »

dwaltrip wrote: post #180
Permit wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your account may very well be biased but it astonishes me how many HN commenters are willing to chime in while knowing next to nothing about what actually took place. I know next to nothing and as such would typically hesitate to comment. Others appear to know next to nothing and appear very interested in sharing their opinions here, and I don’t quite understand why...

> Others appear to know next to nothing and appear very interested in sharing their opinions The modern internet in a nutshell. Of course, this is nothing new. We just now have more powerful tools for doing it. I wish saying "I don't know" or "I'm not sure but I'd like to learn more about that" was more widely valued.

I don't know anything about the situation, but what is evident is this is some of the worst of Twitter on display, and why I shy away from the platform more often than not.

Re: LOL just got kicked out of @ycombinator

#267

Post by scrollaway »

whimsicalism wrote: post #218
scrollaway wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're not. To be honest I'm kind of baffled why people keep equating the two in their heads. I don't want to be "that guy", but use your imagination. Example 1: Low-risk person forges papers to claim they're high risk or in a situation that justifies getting a vaccine Right The Fuck Now, subsequently jumping through a bunch of hoops to get a spot in a highly crowded queue. Example 2: Person shows up at the end of t…

But example 2 wouldn't be skipping the queue, which is what the tweet is discussing. Plenty of people were doing the showing up at end of day thing, it wasn't frowned on at all back in March.

Maybe. Maybe not. I've seen people outraged at it before, it's not uncommon. People who don't understand the net good of shots in arms.

And in fact holding judgement may have been the smart thing to do, given this account of the situation: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27400221

Again, i don't have any more facts than before, it's still his word against the other's. But jumping on anyone's defense here is absurd unless you actually do know more (eg. You saw it unfold in the forum)

Re: LOL just got kicked out of @ycombinator

#268

Post by scrollaway »

gruez wrote: post #230
kordlessagain wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is it we need to discuss this more? It’s not technical, or interesting. Just a bunch of people gossiping and trying to judge!!

Because people are interested and want to find out the truth? At the moment it's a he-said-she-said situation, with each side posting their own (probably biased) version of events.

The people that invested in this affair that doesn't concern them? They need a new hobby. Maybe volunteering at their local vax site for a few weeks could do some actual good instead of trying to play detective just to feel good about themselves pretending they are contributing.

Re: LOL just got kicked out of @ycombinator

#269

Post by ignoramous »

eat_veggies wrote: post #100
kubb wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is that confusing? If you condemn the in-group publicly, it's a sign of betrayal, and they kick you out. Monkeys strong together, that's all there is to it.

It's cool and reassuring that YC has no principles or morals other than "monkeys strong together"

(as an outsider looking in) I think, for YC, who pride themselves on their tight-knit alumni network and reach of their partners, in-group bias was always going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Re: LOL just got kicked out of @ycombinator

#270

Post by gabereiser »

dasickis wrote: post #120

I'm the person this original tweet was about. None of you know any of the internal details but what I can state is that Paul has no idea what he's talking about and later admits to the fact I wasn't lying. Here's the order of events: 1. I went to a neighborhood clinic in Oakland, CA that's literally next door to my house, I can see the church from my window. Paul lives in NYC which is on the opposite end of the count…

When I lived in Denver a few months back, the mass-vaccination site of Coors Field was right behind my condo. I love to skateboard and OneWheel that lot (Coors Field lot C) and just rolled up in my OneWheel and a nurse asked if I was there for a vaccination. I said I wasn’t but that I also hadn’t been vaccinated. She directed me to the line and said “Well, go get yours”. At this time CO hadn’t opened up vaccines for everyone 18+ (they did two weeks later). While I understand the frustrations some people have with the fact their state has waiting lists and eligibility requirements still, I also believe we should be happy people are getting vaxed. No input on the drama here but I’m glad you made the decision to get vaxed and Paul should do his part to make sure he gets vaxed. Internet outrage isn’t a sustainable community builder unless you’re into conspiracies or cancel culture. Calling out others for doing their part (whether ethically or not) is missing the point. Get vaxed. So we can all move forward.
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