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HN doesn’t really have a business model so I’m not sure how much it can be corrupted. I guess if YCombinator ever gets tired of paying the bills , but I’d imagi

HN doesn’t really have a business model so I’m not sure how much it can be corrupted. I guess if YCombinator ever gets tired of paying the bills , but I’d imagine having a majority(?) of startup/tech employees visit your site almost daily is quite good for them in indirect ways

hiddencost 3y ago
HN business model is to perpetuate YCombinator's culture. It's probably some of the most effective money YC spends.
- kergonath 3y ago
  It’s effective because in this instance their interests align with their audience’s, which is pretty much an ideal situation in such a capitalist economy. Also, I don’t know how much HN costs, but I cannot believe it is disproportionate in the PR and communication budget of something like YCombinator.
- viraptor 3y ago
  + customer funnel (launch / show HN), + private, free, targeted job board
- 7e 3y ago
  Cult, you mean?
  - Throw10987 3y ago
    And loving it ;)
- ImaCake 3y ago
  Bingo! Being open to access, but heavily moderated, is the perfect spot for them. HN is essentially perfect for it's use case and is unlikely to change soon.
pessimizer 3y ago
I assume that if HN ever caused them any serious PR damage, they'd pull the plug that day. It's always been made clear that it's a single-server site sitting somewhere that was written as a hobby a long time ago. That kind of nothing cost they're willing to take on indefinitely, but not any serious bad media cost. I've always felt that was the reason for the heavy moderation, especially as compared to the anarchic early days. Even with the salaries of dang et al. expenses are probably a rounding error.
- ronsor 3y ago
  Based on the content that gets posted, I don't think there's a way for HN to cause serious PR damage to them.
  - pessimizer 3y ago
    That's not independent of the moderation, though. Topics that invite heated discussion but aren't absolutely necessary to talk about on HN get nuked very quickly. If it would be absurd for it not to be discussed here, it gets a pinned note from dang telling everyone to behave, and gets carefully monitored to make sure it doesn't degenerate into a riot.
pierat 3y ago
Tapping on the tech pulse and information control/access is the "business model". Remember, this is a VC firm that runs the joint. We're paying with our data, and that gives them early/first mover advantage.

hiddencost 3y ago

HN business model is to perpetuate YCombinator's culture. It's probably some of the most effective money YC spends.

kergonath 3y ago
It’s effective because in this instance their interests align with their audience’s, which is pretty much an ideal situation in such a capitalist economy. Also, I don’t know how much HN costs, but I cannot believe it is disproportionate in the PR and communication budget of something like YCombinator.
viraptor 3y ago
+ customer funnel (launch / show HN), + private, free, targeted job board
7e 3y ago
Cult, you mean?
- Throw10987 3y ago
  And loving it ;)
ImaCake 3y ago
Bingo! Being open to access, but heavily moderated, is the perfect spot for them. HN is essentially perfect for it's use case and is unlikely to change soon.

pessimizer 3y ago

I assume that if HN ever caused them any serious PR damage, they'd pull the plug that day. It's always been made clear that it's a single-server site sitting somewhere that was written as a hobby a long time ago. That kind of nothing cost they're willing to take on indefinitely, but not any serious bad media cost. I've always felt that was the reason for the heavy moderation, especially as compared to the anarchic early days. Even with the salaries of dang et al. expenses are probably a rounding error.

ronsor 3y ago
Based on the content that gets posted, I don't think there's a way for HN to cause serious PR damage to them.
- pessimizer 3y ago
  That's not independent of the moderation, though. Topics that invite heated discussion but aren't absolutely necessary to talk about on HN get nuked very quickly. If it would be absurd for it not to be discussed here, it gets a pinned note from dang telling everyone to behave, and gets carefully monitored to make sure it doesn't degenerate into a riot.

pierat 3y ago

Tapping on the tech pulse and information control/access is the "business model". Remember, this is a VC firm that runs the joint. We're paying with our data, and that gives them early/first mover advantage.