I think if you're willing to assume the risk of starting the company in the first place, then you ought to be willing to assume the risk of rejecting an offer a

I think if you're willing to assume the risk of starting the company in the first place, then you ought to be willing to assume the risk of rejecting an offer and then potentially failing afterwards. It's a risk, but if you enter into it with your eyes open, and the situation makes sense, it's one you shouldn't be afraid of. I wonder if people wouldn't be having this same conversation about the Google/Yahoo deal that was kicked around in the early days. (I know that deal was different, but it's the same risk - what if your company could become the next Google by turning down this offer?) On another note, I think this response speaks to the question a lot of people have asked about whether YC companies are being created simply as acquisition targets or whether they're in it to create long term businesses.