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I don't disagree but it's tough to scale YC. Same with Thiel fellowship. However, it isn't unreasonable to see a situation in which follower counts on sites lik

I don't disagree but it's tough to scale YC. Same with Thiel fellowship. However, it isn't unreasonable to see a situation in which follower counts on sites like Github, Dribbble, Quora, etc. do become scalable ways of signaling. They aren't perfect indicators of ability or knowledge but then again, neither are college degrees (as anyone who has ever hired a dud college grad can attest to). YC, TechStars, Thiel, etc. are awesome signals for those who achieve them just as Harvard, Stanford and MIT are but I think the real juice is in the alternatives for those who don't fall into the top 1% of 1% who simply wish to prove their knowledge and abilities without having to drop six figures in the process.

apl 16y ago
> However, it isn't unreasonable to see a situation in > which follower counts on sites like Github, Dribbble, > Quora, etc. do become scalable ways of signaling. They > aren't perfect indicators of ability or knowledge but > then again, neither are college degrees "Karma"-based mechanisms favor a very specific personality profile. One that doesn't necessarily correlate with aptitude. Just have a look at the SO superstars -- none of them are auto-hires for all situations. You'd need to evaluate them individually and carefully. Presumably to a degree that makes their community rating superfluous.