4 ms·

It's just shorthand for when people want to ask for things, common among investors (so, YC/HN).

• hollerith 2y ago
  So a request, then.
  • tejaskumar_ 2y ago
    yes
  • smcin 2y ago
    It's techspeak for 'a request'.
    • caseyohara 2y ago
      I find it interesting that techspeak has a way of turning verbs into nouns. Ask, invite, compute.
      • LoganDark 2y ago
        Is "an invite" techspeak?
        • smcin 2y ago
          "an invite" is not specifically techspeak because it's widely used outside tech (esp. in US English), unlike "an ask". Dictionaries say "an invite" has been used as a noun for centuries. [0]: https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/can-you-use-invite-as-a-noun https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/can-you-use-invite-a... [1]: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/68937/invite-vs-invitation https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/68937/invite-vs-...
        • carlosjobim 2y ago
          The proper word is "invitation".
          • smcin 2y ago
            I thought so too until I checked, but the references I cite above say 'an invite' has also been used since the 17th century, at least for US English.
      • tayo42 2y ago
        I thought it's corporate America jargon
        • caseyohara 2y ago
          Technologists seem to have a special proclivity for linguistic nominalization (functional transformation of a verb or adjective into a noun). Examples: build, patch, commit, deploy, sync, mock, update, upgrade, deliverable, standup, kickoff, resolve, retry. There are probably many more.
          • smcin 2y ago
            'verbing a noun' Also there's a stylistic difference between coining something new and necessary e.g. 'mock','patch', vs. creating something faddish and unnecessary e.g. 'an ask'.