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At first I was with them, but when they summarized at the end I think they missed the underlying point of the feedback. The feedback was “why have you waited s

At first I was with them, but when they summarized at the end I think they missed the underlying point of the feedback. The feedback was “why have you waited so long” not “this was too early for you to apply” The fact that the founders bent that around in their heads after changing their actions, to me, indicates they aren’t quite getting what the email implied. But what do I know, I’ve never gotten in to YCombinator or launched a successful startup.

kaybe 7y ago
I might have missed the point too, could you expand a little?
- whiddershins 7y ago
  This is obviously speculative, I’m not in anyone else’s head. I interpreted that they were concerned about the thinking that went in to making the decision not to begin charging people sooner. I felt supported in that interpretation when the founders ended the article by saying perhaps their company was at too early a point for the program. The feedback seemed to imply they were too far along to have not started charging, so interpreting that to mean they were not far along enough could mean the feedback was responded to with direct action but the underlying thinking remains unchanged. Like I said, I have no idea if I’m right, but if I am then the last conclusion paragraph validates the YC interviewer’s concern that there’s a deeper problem about how the company is being approached.
- cloverich 7y ago
  (same boat as OP, just hazarding a guess) -- What is the plan? Why were they waiting? Wanting to capture a larger segment of the market to out compete a rival company before monetizing could be an answer. There's others, sure. I think the point was there should be a strategy. The entire post felt like a couple kids waiting to turn in their next assignment, and wanting to know what to do for extra credit. Which is likely unfair, its just the vibe I got. It sounds like they have a product people like, which is great. My next question might be -- what do they want to do next, and how will YC help them? Probably things they've covered, but maybe not.
soneca 7y ago
I think they understood the feedback and tried to react to it in the best way they could. A situation like "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best time is today". They can't change the past, they can try to catch up. I think they got the point precisely
- arkades 7y ago
  I don't think they did, and I don't think you did (please read my tone with generosity; that's not meant to be an attack.) I don't believe the feedback they got was that they should be charging, and they aren't yet, therefore "the best time to plant a tree..." The question they got was "Why aren't you charging yet?", because by product and market, it seemed they ought to be. The correct answer is "This is our market, this is our business plan, this is why it makes sense for us to not be charging yet." The question is one of rationale, which could be judged as being good or bad, but still the question is "why?" Their actions revealed that they didn't have a solid rationale. So without any more reasoning than "because it seems like YC is criticizing us for not charging," they quickly started charging. Did YC's criticism actually change their business strategy? Their knowledge of the market? Anything that should have plugged into the question of whether they should be charging? If the answer is "no," then they launched a significant change to their product without any good reason and, in my opinion, validated YC's opinion.
  - soneca 7y ago
    Yes, I believe the feedback they got was that they should be charging. Maybe because it confirms my personal perspective that I think they should be charging already indeed.

kaybe 7y ago

I might have missed the point too, could you expand a little?

whiddershins 7y ago
This is obviously speculative, I’m not in anyone else’s head. I interpreted that they were concerned about the thinking that went in to making the decision not to begin charging people sooner. I felt supported in that interpretation when the founders ended the article by saying perhaps their company was at too early a point for the program. The feedback seemed to imply they were too far along to have not started charging, so interpreting that to mean they were not far along enough could mean the feedback was responded to with direct action but the underlying thinking remains unchanged. Like I said, I have no idea if I’m right, but if I am then the last conclusion paragraph validates the YC interviewer’s concern that there’s a deeper problem about how the company is being approached.
cloverich 7y ago
(same boat as OP, just hazarding a guess) -- What is the plan? Why were they waiting? Wanting to capture a larger segment of the market to out compete a rival company before monetizing could be an answer. There's others, sure. I think the point was there should be a strategy. The entire post felt like a couple kids waiting to turn in their next assignment, and wanting to know what to do for extra credit. Which is likely unfair, its just the vibe I got. It sounds like they have a product people like, which is great. My next question might be -- what do they want to do next, and how will YC help them? Probably things they've covered, but maybe not.

soneca 7y ago

I think they understood the feedback and tried to react to it in the best way they could. A situation like "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best time is today". They can't change the past, they can try to catch up. I think they got the point precisely

arkades 7y ago
I don't think they did, and I don't think you did (please read my tone with generosity; that's not meant to be an attack.) I don't believe the feedback they got was that they should be charging, and they aren't yet, therefore "the best time to plant a tree..." The question they got was "Why aren't you charging yet?", because by product and market, it seemed they ought to be. The correct answer is "This is our market, this is our business plan, this is why it makes sense for us to not be charging yet." The question is one of rationale, which could be judged as being good or bad, but still the question is "why?" Their actions revealed that they didn't have a solid rationale. So without any more reasoning than "because it seems like YC is criticizing us for not charging," they quickly started charging. Did YC's criticism actually change their business strategy? Their knowledge of the market? Anything that should have plugged into the question of whether they should be charging? If the answer is "no," then they launched a significant change to their product without any good reason and, in my opinion, validated YC's opinion.
- soneca 7y ago
  Yes, I believe the feedback they got was that they should be charging. Maybe because it confirms my personal perspective that I think they should be charging already indeed.