4 ms·

The best summary I have heard of whether or not to apply is: "If you think you might need YC, you need it. If you think you might not need YC, you need it. I

The best summary I have heard of whether or not to apply is: "If you think you might need YC, you need it. If you think you might not need YC, you need it. If you are ABSOLUTELY SURE you don't need YC, you probably still do, but maybe not."

wheels 15y ago
I'm not really comfortable with the word "need" there since obviously most successful companies don't go through YC. It's more like, "What are the situations where going through YC is a net minus?" and there are very few. YC is a great boost in the right direction, but most people that apply won't be accepted. What should they do? Well, if they were serious in the first place, they should start their company anyway. People who want to start companies should start companies; people who just want to get into YC (and assume that they'll then be on the gilded path) shouldn't do either.
- sneak 15y ago
  > "What are the situations where going through YC is a net minus?" and there are very few. Last I checked, doing YC requires one to live in the USA, a place that has been rapidly increasing in insanity for the last ten years or so. That's a net loss for anyone who values their basic freedoms. Then again, some value customers, cash flow, and shareholder value more than their own personal liberties, so the "net loss" calculation will vary from individual to individual -- but note well that it will probably only become more likely as the US becomes worse. Plot the points from the PATRIOT act to the TSA harassment and groping and throw _that_ graph in your deck.
  - wheels 15y ago
    It's particularly ironic that you say that replying to a YC founder that lives in the same city as you. YC has never required you to live in the US beyond the 3 months that the program runs. They strongly recommend it, but there are a handful of YC companies headquartered elsewhere (with the largest contingent in and around London).
    - sneak 15y ago
      1) That's enough to ruin the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (presuming US citizenship) for 2012. 35 days/year is all we get. 2) Short of bussing down to Mexico and flying home from there, how would one avoid sexual assault at the hands of the US government after the program ends? 3) Whoever solves this telepresence issue for problems like this once and for all will make a mint.
      - patrickod 15y ago
        For what it's worth. 1 - There are ways around this. For instance you don't have to pay yourself a salary. 2 - I've flown in and out of the US numerous times this year and have yet to be "molested" or even go through millimeter wave scanning. Even then the radiation dose is minuscule. You'll get more exposure to radiation on the flight itself than in the scan. Don't let your fear rule you. 3 - Telepresence isn't the problem; the 8-hour time difference is. Technology will not surpass this unless one side becomes nocturnal
        sneak 15y ago
        Maybe my problem is the mistaken(?) assumption that the best code is always written between midnight and 7AM.
        patrickod 15y ago
        That is not my experience. While the odd all-nighter can be productive when deadlines are looming I think many would agree it's not the best practice. Personally I like to sleep normal hours and function in the daylight
        deleted 15y ago
        [deleted]
      - patio11 15y ago
        Hiya Sneak. As somebody with a lot of amateur experience regarding the FEIE, the Physical Presence Test is just there to provide a quick-to-adjudicate safe harbor for filers. You also have access to the Bonafide Residence Test, which a) takes zero work to apply for, b) is rarely audited for folks like us, and c) would be trivially sustained on audit if you looked like you lived abroad. Factors strongly breaking in favor of you include that YC is for a defined fairly short duration, that your living conditions in San Fran scream "temporary accomodations during work, not permanent residence", that you maintain your foreign residence in state with intent to return, etc. I routinely spend two months a year in the US, and have never had a problem with the IRS over this. When I raised the issue with an accountant he bust out laughing. "Patrick, if the only refrigerator you own is in Japan and turned on right now, this is not a close call."

wheels 15y ago

I'm not really comfortable with the word "need" there since obviously most successful companies don't go through YC. It's more like, "What are the situations where going through YC is a net minus?" and there are very few. YC is a great boost in the right direction, but most people that apply won't be accepted. What should they do? Well, if they were serious in the first place, they should start their company anyway. People who want to start companies should start companies; people who just want to get into YC (and assume that they'll then be on the gilded path) shouldn't do either.

sneak 15y ago
> "What are the situations where going through YC is a net minus?" and there are very few. Last I checked, doing YC requires one to live in the USA, a place that has been rapidly increasing in insanity for the last ten years or so. That's a net loss for anyone who values their basic freedoms. Then again, some value customers, cash flow, and shareholder value more than their own personal liberties, so the "net loss" calculation will vary from individual to individual -- but note well that it will probably only become more likely as the US becomes worse. Plot the points from the PATRIOT act to the TSA harassment and groping and throw _that_ graph in your deck.
- wheels 15y ago
  It's particularly ironic that you say that replying to a YC founder that lives in the same city as you. YC has never required you to live in the US beyond the 3 months that the program runs. They strongly recommend it, but there are a handful of YC companies headquartered elsewhere (with the largest contingent in and around London).
  - sneak 15y ago
    1) That's enough to ruin the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (presuming US citizenship) for 2012. 35 days/year is all we get. 2) Short of bussing down to Mexico and flying home from there, how would one avoid sexual assault at the hands of the US government after the program ends? 3) Whoever solves this telepresence issue for problems like this once and for all will make a mint.
    - patrickod 15y ago
      For what it's worth. 1 - There are ways around this. For instance you don't have to pay yourself a salary. 2 - I've flown in and out of the US numerous times this year and have yet to be "molested" or even go through millimeter wave scanning. Even then the radiation dose is minuscule. You'll get more exposure to radiation on the flight itself than in the scan. Don't let your fear rule you. 3 - Telepresence isn't the problem; the 8-hour time difference is. Technology will not surpass this unless one side becomes nocturnal
      - sneak 15y ago
        Maybe my problem is the mistaken(?) assumption that the best code is always written between midnight and 7AM.
        patrickod 15y ago
        That is not my experience. While the odd all-nighter can be productive when deadlines are looming I think many would agree it's not the best practice. Personally I like to sleep normal hours and function in the daylight
        deleted 15y ago
        [deleted]
    - patio11 15y ago
      Hiya Sneak. As somebody with a lot of amateur experience regarding the FEIE, the Physical Presence Test is just there to provide a quick-to-adjudicate safe harbor for filers. You also have access to the Bonafide Residence Test, which a) takes zero work to apply for, b) is rarely audited for folks like us, and c) would be trivially sustained on audit if you looked like you lived abroad. Factors strongly breaking in favor of you include that YC is for a defined fairly short duration, that your living conditions in San Fran scream "temporary accomodations during work, not permanent residence", that you maintain your foreign residence in state with intent to return, etc. I routinely spend two months a year in the US, and have never had a problem with the IRS over this. When I raised the issue with an accountant he bust out laughing. "Patrick, if the only refrigerator you own is in Japan and turned on right now, this is not a close call."