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Many would consider OpenAI a YC startup considering it branched out of YC research, participated in one of the batches in some form, got investment from YC, and

Many would consider OpenAI a YC startup considering it branched out of YC research, participated in one of the batches in some form, got investment from YC, and was led by Sam Altman (an alum and leader) up until today. Otherwise, maybe it's just a timing thing? Tesla, SpaceX, Google, etc all predate YC, so maybe sample size isn't big enough yet? Alternatively, maybe big foundational ideas aren't super compatible with the "take over the world in three months" format? I'm not familiar enough with the process to be sure, though, so take this as wild speculation.

gotem02 3y ago
Timing and sample size honestly seem like great explanations to me! YC probably would've funded a bunch of current big tech cos if it was founded earlier / had the reputation it does now in like 1995 or something. I'd like to think (not because of any evidence but just because it's more optimistic) that YC does fund big ideas, there just haven't been many foundational ones since its inception due to a lack of generational / foundational tech breakthroughs or platform shifts. Maybe AI agents will change this?