4 ms·

Not sure how seriously I'd take anything said by a guy who invested in 9gag.

callmevlad 14y ago
YCombinator invested in 9gag as well. That has absolutely no bearing on Paul Graham's insight into the current investment climate.
- sbierwagen 14y ago
  I didn't know that. This significantly alters my opinion of YC.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - braco_alva 14y ago
    Why? I know that 9gag is not the most serious business out there, but don't you think it could be a viable and sustainable business?
    - unimpressive 14y ago
      I think it's because 9gag is the site that redditors like to mock. I'm not sure I blame them. https://9gag.com/gag/5553078 https://9gag.com/gag/5553078 https://9gag.com/gag/5920690 https://9gag.com/gag/5920690
      - davemc500hats 14y ago
        you guys feel free to mock 9GAG, 500, & YC. 9GAG has grown to tens of millions of users and billions of page views per month in less than 2 years. the company was generating single-digit millions with a team of less than 10 people. in short, it's a great business that has tremendous scale, and you haters can all go put a sock in it.
        braco_alva 14y ago
        That was my point, it might not have the best content on the internet,but it clearly has a huge user base, and a very active one. I don't get why it wouldn't be a good investment decision.
        unimpressive 14y ago
        Actually, I don't doubt that you have good reasons for investing in 9gag. I'm just not the target audience for the content. (And consequently think it's a bit crude.) I'd originally posted (in response to sbierwagen) that 9gag receiving investments 'significantly altered my opinion of 9gag'. But then deleted it because the obvious interpretation wasn't my intended one. I figured the monetization scenario for 9gag might look good if PG +others are investing.
        selamattidur 14y ago
        Why is it a great business? Because it has users and almost no barrier to entry? How sustainable is that?
  - kapilkale 14y ago
    Why does it alter your opinion of YC?
    - sbierwagen 14y ago
      I hang out with artists a lot, and they hate 9gag, mostly because it is a business based on wholescale theft of intellectual property. Just like Youtube, of course, but Youtube actually shares ad revenue with creators, while "publishing" your work on 9gag is manifestly insane.
      - codewright 14y ago
        Full-scale Whole-sale Pick one and only one.
joelrunyon 14y ago
Dismissing any viewpoint out of hand based on one small investment out of hundreds seems like a poor way of gaining wisdom...
tomasien 14y ago
500 Startups and YC's investments in 9gag were puzzling to me until Paul explained their plan and their traction to me. They're compelling. Don't blame the founders for the actions of the community, largely in the past: 9gag has a future. Reddit was bought before it reached the heights it currently inhabits, but 9gag has a chance as a pre-exit company to inhabit a similar space for a different demo internationally as well as move into some pretty interesting verticals.

YCombinator invested in 9gag as well. That has absolutely no bearing on Paul Graham's insight into the current investment climate.

sbierwagen 14y ago
I didn't know that. This significantly alters my opinion of YC.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- braco_alva 14y ago
  Why? I know that 9gag is not the most serious business out there, but don't you think it could be a viable and sustainable business?
  - unimpressive 14y ago
    I think it's because 9gag is the site that redditors like to mock. I'm not sure I blame them. https://9gag.com/gag/5553078 https://9gag.com/gag/5553078 https://9gag.com/gag/5920690 https://9gag.com/gag/5920690
    - davemc500hats 14y ago
      you guys feel free to mock 9GAG, 500, & YC. 9GAG has grown to tens of millions of users and billions of page views per month in less than 2 years. the company was generating single-digit millions with a team of less than 10 people. in short, it's a great business that has tremendous scale, and you haters can all go put a sock in it.
      - braco_alva 14y ago
        That was my point, it might not have the best content on the internet,but it clearly has a huge user base, and a very active one. I don't get why it wouldn't be a good investment decision.
      - unimpressive 14y ago
        Actually, I don't doubt that you have good reasons for investing in 9gag. I'm just not the target audience for the content. (And consequently think it's a bit crude.) I'd originally posted (in response to sbierwagen) that 9gag receiving investments 'significantly altered my opinion of 9gag'. But then deleted it because the obvious interpretation wasn't my intended one. I figured the monetization scenario for 9gag might look good if PG +others are investing.
      - selamattidur 14y ago
        Why is it a great business? Because it has users and almost no barrier to entry? How sustainable is that?
- kapilkale 14y ago
  Why does it alter your opinion of YC?
  - sbierwagen 14y ago
    I hang out with artists a lot, and they hate 9gag, mostly because it is a business based on wholescale theft of intellectual property. Just like Youtube, of course, but Youtube actually shares ad revenue with creators, while "publishing" your work on 9gag is manifestly insane.
    - codewright 14y ago
      Full-scale Whole-sale Pick one and only one.

joelrunyon 14y ago

Dismissing any viewpoint out of hand based on one small investment out of hundreds seems like a poor way of gaining wisdom...

tomasien 14y ago

500 Startups and YC's investments in 9gag were puzzling to me until Paul explained their plan and their traction to me. They're compelling. Don't blame the founders for the actions of the community, largely in the past: 9gag has a future. Reddit was bought before it reached the heights it currently inhabits, but 9gag has a chance as a pre-exit company to inhabit a similar space for a different demo internationally as well as move into some pretty interesting verticals.