> One of the bad learnings you get from YC is that there’s a formula for success, and it looks like this: First you do some brainstorming. Then you come up with

> One of the bad learnings you get from YC is that there’s a formula for success, and it looks like this: First you do some brainstorming. Then you come up with a good idea that can scale to a billion dollars (otherwise what’s the point of getting out of bed in the morning?) Then you work hard until you find “product-market-fit.” And then if the noises from investors indicate you won’t be getting a next round of funding, you start looking for a “pivot.” YC is fairly relentless about iteratively finding product market fit but as far as pivoting goes - while YC makes it clear that you can pivot, it's pretty obvious that it's not ideal (but if people don't want your product, that's even less ideal). YC most definitely does not bill pivoting as part of a formula for success. They also care about your idea when you apply, they do not expect you to start fresh during the batch. I honestly don't remember them saying anything about brainstorming, and that's probably because it's not true - most good startups have an unfair advantage in their industry and most founders already have some experience in their field of choice. Throwing a dart at a board and making a unicorn is quite rare indeed. So this "formula" is mostly a strawman. And notably he tears down pretty much everything but iteratively finding product market fit, the one kernel of truth in this entire rant. > Think about this for a second: The most successful business owners are typically in their 40s and 50s. Why is YC full of 22 year olds? Why aren’t the 40 year old entrepreneurs taking up this incredible deal that YC is offering? YC will tell you it’s because only the 22 year old kids can be true visionaries. BULL. SHIT. So I went through YC in 2014 and I was 22 at the time - and I was among the youngest in the batch. Most founders seemed more towards his proposed age range, and to be fair they seemed to have a better handle on things. Go figure. So YC most definitely does not say that "only the 22 year old kids can be true visionaries." At least in 2014, it was in fact rare for them to bet on 22 year-olds. > You might think that those who failed might still have gotten something. Maybe. If you haven't founded a business before, it's quite valuable because you don't know what you don't know. Once you're a little more seasoned, I'd say it's a lot more situational.