4 ms·

Ask HN: Non-US founders, are you reconsidering appling to YC due to Trump?

17 points by MrsPeaches 10y ago

Having applied to HN in the past, I have decided against applying due to, both myself and SO, not wanting to live in the US under President Trump. Is there anyone else who feels this way?

jackgolding 10y ago
I moved to the other side of my country (Australia) for recently for work because I felt I needed to make a short step before the leap to SF (most friends recommended going to SF, talking to a few companies, flying back then doing the visa process which costs a non-trivial amount). Trump administration, rising house prices and a possible bubble bursting are keeping me out of the states at the moment. However I must say I felt like Melbourne would be a lot more startup adept than it is. I feel like Sydney is quite a while in front, but all of Australia lags behind Israel and London (outside the US anyway.)
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
Lordarminius 10y ago
I was under the impression that as a YC applicant one is not required to live in the US, just to incorporate there. The uncertainty surrounding the entire adminstration and it's policies gives pause for thought and has introduced a rogue element into the calculation (at last for me) but only time will tell if many others feel this way and act on these instincts
- wayn3 10y ago
  you have to live in the US for the duration of your YC batch.
aedron 10y ago
I am reconsidering due to the invasive and discriminatory border control I fear I might be subjected to on entry. This started before Trump, but seems to be getting worse with the current administration.
- Lordarminius 10y ago
  > ...invasive and discriminatory border control I fear I might be subjected to on entry ... This too. Who needs this kind of aggravation? Seriously the bureaucratic process around entering the US is extremely discouraging
kejaed 10y ago
As a Canadian working on a project that may or may not go for funding, the current state of American politics hasn't dissuaded me from the idea of applying to YC. However, in late 2016 I was interviewing with Palantir, and the political climate, combined with Thiel's involvement, let me to withdraw my candidacy after 2 phone interviews prior to the on-site.
id122015 10y ago
The president is just a non important piece in the game. They talk about The Establishment.
bsvalley 10y ago
This will only make Trump happy since that's exactly what he wants. Do you want to make trump happy and think about politics first or do you want to focus on your business and compete? That's also a sign for investors... they'll find out quickly you get easily distracted.
- MrsPeaches 10y ago
  Being non-white (i.e. could be from a muslim country) it is more to do with the fact that I might face problems coming in and out of the country. Not to mention living in a country where being openly racist is not something that would exclide you from being president.
  - bsvalley 10y ago
    For the first part - it'll be decided soon I guess. For the second part, I still believe you're getting too distracted. The US is a huge country with a lot of diversity. If you apply at YC and magically get in, you'd have to come to the san francisco bay area. Here, it's pro Obama. The large majority of California is Democrat. It is an extremely diverse place. This is where tech startups do business so I'd see it as a distraction if you don't get impacted by #1 and still believe the US is not a great place to start a company coming from another country.
  - CrystalLangUser 10y ago
    I think you're being unfair right now. As if our shitty 2-person system boils merely down to racist/non-racist. There are ~350 million people here, with completely diverse views. Normal daily life here will be fine for you, as most people are hospitable overall. Especially in technological hotspots like California or Chicago.
Kepler-31b 10y ago
I'm unsure why YC doesn't open up a branch outside the US and offer a vessel to US investors?

17 points by MrsPeaches 10y ago

Having applied to HN in the past, I have decided against applying due to, both myself and SO, not wanting to live in the US under President Trump. Is there anyone else who feels this way?

jackgolding 10y ago

I moved to the other side of my country (Australia) for recently for work because I felt I needed to make a short step before the leap to SF (most friends recommended going to SF, talking to a few companies, flying back then doing the visa process which costs a non-trivial amount). Trump administration, rising house prices and a possible bubble bursting are keeping me out of the states at the moment. However I must say I felt like Melbourne would be a lot more startup adept than it is. I feel like Sydney is quite a while in front, but all of Australia lags behind Israel and London (outside the US anyway.)

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

Lordarminius 10y ago

I was under the impression that as a YC applicant one is not required to live in the US, just to incorporate there. The uncertainty surrounding the entire adminstration and it's policies gives pause for thought and has introduced a rogue element into the calculation (at last for me) but only time will tell if many others feel this way and act on these instincts

wayn3 10y ago
you have to live in the US for the duration of your YC batch.

aedron 10y ago

I am reconsidering due to the invasive and discriminatory border control I fear I might be subjected to on entry. This started before Trump, but seems to be getting worse with the current administration.

Lordarminius 10y ago
> ...invasive and discriminatory border control I fear I might be subjected to on entry ... This too. Who needs this kind of aggravation? Seriously the bureaucratic process around entering the US is extremely discouraging

kejaed 10y ago

As a Canadian working on a project that may or may not go for funding, the current state of American politics hasn't dissuaded me from the idea of applying to YC. However, in late 2016 I was interviewing with Palantir, and the political climate, combined with Thiel's involvement, let me to withdraw my candidacy after 2 phone interviews prior to the on-site.

id122015 10y ago

The president is just a non important piece in the game. They talk about The Establishment.

bsvalley 10y ago

This will only make Trump happy since that's exactly what he wants. Do you want to make trump happy and think about politics first or do you want to focus on your business and compete? That's also a sign for investors... they'll find out quickly you get easily distracted.

MrsPeaches 10y ago
Being non-white (i.e. could be from a muslim country) it is more to do with the fact that I might face problems coming in and out of the country. Not to mention living in a country where being openly racist is not something that would exclide you from being president.
- bsvalley 10y ago
  For the first part - it'll be decided soon I guess. For the second part, I still believe you're getting too distracted. The US is a huge country with a lot of diversity. If you apply at YC and magically get in, you'd have to come to the san francisco bay area. Here, it's pro Obama. The large majority of California is Democrat. It is an extremely diverse place. This is where tech startups do business so I'd see it as a distraction if you don't get impacted by #1 and still believe the US is not a great place to start a company coming from another country.
- CrystalLangUser 10y ago
  I think you're being unfair right now. As if our shitty 2-person system boils merely down to racist/non-racist. There are ~350 million people here, with completely diverse views. Normal daily life here will be fine for you, as most people are hospitable overall. Especially in technological hotspots like California or Chicago.

Kepler-31b 10y ago

I'm unsure why YC doesn't open up a branch outside the US and offer a vessel to US investors?