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This comment in the thread is in disagreement with your point: > As a former employer for a YC funded company that was shut down against the founder's wishes,

This comment in the thread is in disagreement with your point: > As a former employer for a YC funded company that was shut down against the founder's wishes, forced to via the investor board; I can say that this article does not universally wrongly characterize the YC experience. I have heard of YC doing pivots, so "dig a hole in the same spot until you reach the boiling magma" doesn't characterize it either. However, that doesn't make YC look good from the perspective of a founder wanting to be in control. What I remember hearing from YC is of cases where a partner tells you to pivot, not where they let the founders decide to pivot themselves. Edit: I realized the main comment linked to jibes with what I was saying: > The overwhelming feeling is: be humble in the face of reality, try something and try to try it in a way that you can assess whether it’s working — quickly/cheaply — then try something new. ...try something new that's recommended by the YC partner(s) I am more positive than negative on YC though. There is no perfect balance between being too hands-on or too hands-off for a startup accelerator.

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mikeshi42 3y ago
> What I remember hearing from YC is of cases where a partner tells you to pivot, not where they let the founders decide to pivot themselves. Post-batch you can talk to your partners as often as you want or never again - they stay out of your way unless you explicitly reach out. They make this quite clear during the batch as well. During the batch you do talk to your partners as part of the structure. They do give (really good!) advice, but you're always told it's your company. I can see them giving advice based on their experience on where you might want to dig instead, but I've never heard a founder being forced down a direction they didn't want to go. After all, why would that be the optimal path?

deleted 3y ago

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mikeshi42 3y ago

> What I remember hearing from YC is of cases where a partner tells you to pivot, not where they let the founders decide to pivot themselves. Post-batch you can talk to your partners as often as you want or never again - they stay out of your way unless you explicitly reach out. They make this quite clear during the batch as well. During the batch you do talk to your partners as part of the structure. They do give (really good!) advice, but you're always told it's your company. I can see them giving advice based on their experience on where you might want to dig instead, but I've never heard a founder being forced down a direction they didn't want to go. After all, why would that be the optimal path?