dear Paul et. al.
I'm a Paul myself ... :) Y Combinator is an inspiration for me! I think that as Y Combinator incubates more companies successfully, more and more groups will apply. :)
Why to Not Not Start a Startup
41–50 of 142 posts
Re: Why to Not Not Start a Startup
#42Greate article.
But I have the impression that PG means "to start starup is to launch a web application". right?
Re: Why to Not Not Start a Startup
#43This essay was exceedingly entrancing, enticing and thrilling!!!!!!!
It made me very pensive and extreamly vexed!! I thouroughly commended your effort, however for your intellectual ability you could have tried harder!! Durrr :p
Re: Why to Not Not Start a Startup
#44Great essay, I sure wish my reason was because of #10 (wealthy) and not #9 (family to support), so true, so true. An alternative to starting a consulting business is to build your stuff on the side. Possibly draining? Yes, but if you're determined, I believe this is better than getting distracted by a consulting business. Time will tell if this is wise though.
If you choose a problem to solve where the customers move slowly, you actually have an advantage over a 23-year-old working 16 hours a day. With infrequent customer feedback, it's hard for the young startup to capitalize on all that free time, and it can burn through its cash waiting for feedback and growth.
Re: Why to Not Not Start a Startup
#45What are your plans on putting YC up on the TDP? and tell PG he rocks!!
Re: Why to Not Not Start a Startup
#466. No cofounder
Is my main discouragement. I'm 28 and have been out of school for 6 years.
13. Uncertainty interferes a little. I have a comfortable , quiet apartment and I'd be risking that on a startup. This obstactle isn't hard to overcome, though.
Other comments on the essay
2. Too inexperienced: In my case, being too inexperienced meant that the idea of a startup didn't even occur to me. This advice might have helped, but I probably wasn't listening.
12. Need for Structure: While some people do seem to have a built-in need for structure, sometimes that structure can be "There Is No Structure." I'd say:
The problems appear when the expected structure is differs from what actually exists.
Employees will stagnate in what feels like a structured environment if they are given no instruction. However, if it's clear from the start that no structure will be provided, they won't waste time waiting. On the other side, managers may get upset if employees don't follow policy with military precision, despite the fact that military structure hasn't been provided and the relevant policy is 30 pages deep in a handbook no one has read in 2 years. The manager can either figure out how to include military drilling, or accept that degree of structure is unworkable.
My impression of Y Combinator is that it's fairly clear early on how much structure is provided (or not provided).
Re: Why to Not Not Start a Startup
#47Hypothesis: "I'd rather work on hard AI problems at Google than create a startup and bitch about how Safari is not rendering my site properly." What do you think? I haven't tried either, but working on cool problems ought to be worth something. Most startup work seems rather mundane.
What is your reason for working on hard AI problems at Google?
Not a rhetorical question.
One reason to worry about how my site renders in Safari is that I know people use Safari and if my site doesn't work for them they won't use my site. There's a thrill that comes when people enthusiastically approve of your work. Also I know my site will be higher quality and more valuable if it renders in safari. The more valuable my site is, the more likely I will be able to make money off of it.
Come up with a list for the Google job, and see how it compares. For me personally, both sound good.
Re: Why to Not Not Start a Startup
#48Hypothesis: "I'd rather work on hard AI problems at Google than create a startup and bitch about how Safari is not rendering my site properly." What do you think? I haven't tried either, but working on cool problems ought to be worth something. Most startup work seems rather mundane.
Possible solution: You can develop your startup's product with GWT and not have to worry about Safari (or any other browser) rendering properly.
Then you can focus on the the challenging and rewarding problems without worry of dealing with the mundane. The difference will be that they are problems YOU want to work on, not what Google wants.
Re: Why to Not Not Start a Startup
#49Hypothesis: "I'd rather work on hard AI problems at Google than create a startup and bitch about how Safari is not rendering my site properly." What do you think? I haven't tried either, but working on cool problems ought to be worth something. Most startup work seems rather mundane.
This is all supposition, but I'm willing to bet that if such a position is available at Google, it would be necessary to have at least a Master's and preferably a Ph.D., with an emphasis on AI, in order to get such a position. The beauty of startups is that you can start them whenever you have the time and inspiration, and the artificial degree barrier is non-existent if your product is good enough.
Re: Why to Not Not Start a Startup
#50Hypothesis: "I'd rather work on hard AI problems at Google than create a startup and bitch about how Safari is not rendering my site properly." What do you think? I haven't tried either, but working on cool problems ought to be worth something. Most startup work seems rather mundane.
What is your reason for working on hard AI problems at Google? Not a rhetorical question. One reason to worry about how my site renders in Safari is that I know people use Safari and if my site doesn't work for them they won't use my site. There's a thrill that comes when people enthusiastically approve of your work. Also I know my site will be higher quality and more valuable if it renders in safari. The more valuab…
"AI problems at Google" is just an example. I find hard technical problems interesting. A problem is hard if I don't know in advance whether or not I will be able to solve it. AI is hard. Making a good OS is hard. Startups avoid hard problems, because they have enough things to worry about already.
I'm not saying the job at Google with Peter Norvig (ah) is perfect. I was just pointing out another reason why I'm hesitant to make a startup.