4 ms·
it's actually, for me, the most important part of the application while reviewing it. why?
by starkfist 16y ago
it's actually, for me, the most important part of the application while reviewing it.
why?
- pg 16y agoIt is for me too, and the reason is that's it's so high bandwidth compared to text. At our stage, we care mostly about the people, and you can tell much more about people from watching them talk than from reading what they write, just as (though not to the same extent) you can tell more about someone from meeting them in person than reading a resume.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- coryl 16y agoIf video is the most important thing in a YC app, why is it optional and not required?
- pg 16y agoAt first we didn't realize how useful it was. We kept the optional-ness afterward because it is itself a test.
- jpeterson 16y agoSeems like kind of a strange filter to me. What is the connection between how well someone comes across on camera and how good they are at coding and developing a product? You say it's high bandwidth, but is the data useful? 50 terabytes per second of noise is still noise. Also, I don't think this test fares very well in retrospect. Steve Jobs probably would've given a good video resume, but what about Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Williams, and the like? These guys usually come across as duds on video.
- pg 16y agoIt sounds like what you mean by coming across well on video = being charismatic. You seem to assume that's what we're looking for, but it's not. What we're looking for is people who will make good startup founders. We have a lot of data about what good startup founders are like, so we're able to recognize them well enough to make the video useful.
- hackinthebochs 16y agoStudy after study shows that people consider good looking, charismatic people smarter and more trustworthy. How can you make sure you're not falling into the same trap? This seems like it will just degrade into the prettier, charismatic people getting yet another leg up on everyone else.
- pg 16y agoI could be falling into this trap to some extent, but if you think about my background, I'd probably be less likely to fall into it than just about anyone else in the world. If anything I'd worry that I'd be inclined to discriminate against attractive people, not in their favor.
- starkfist 16y agoWhat are the key attributes that come across on video?
- pg 16y agoOff the top of my head, thoughtfulness, energy, and a good relationship between the founders.