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"If you're a YC founder, you're in the club. You were picked. It's great if you succeed; if you fail, you have a network. If you're a YC employee, you're just a

"If you're a YC founder, you're in the club. You were picked. It's great if you succeed; if you fail, you have a network. If you're a YC employee, you're just an employee of a small startup. YC founders seem, at least from this, to be blind to the fact that their employees aren't able to cash in on the prestige of being YC and will therefore expect hard currency." Well said. It's actually infuriating when one joins a pre-YC company and contribute to the company, yet don't get to attend any of the events. It's like as a non-founder you are not worthy of ever setting foot in their room or gaining knowledge, despite the fact that so many non-founders have contributed significantly to a company's trajectory. Though I think the Silicon Valley community has an especially strong fixation on founders.

deleted 14y ago
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dchichkov 14y ago
I guess, there is some correlation between being worthy of YC club and successfully negotiating yourself a founder title. That's probably one of the reasons, why somebody with a non-founder title can't get in that easily. Saying that, such situation is likely to has negative outcome for the company. A conflict in the founding team and high likelihood of significant contributors leaving the company and abandoning projects can't be good.
- malandrew 14y ago
  IMHO, anyone who has been around a company since the last major pivot (significantly different product, market or business model) should deserve the founder title. I am employee #1 at the startup I'm at and I've been here since we were a completely different company, targeting a different market with a different product. Being present before these major pivots, means you are very likely to make major contributions to the new direction of the company. This in a way makes you a founder. You may not be the founder of the legal entity, but you are a founder of the company insofar as product, market and business model are concerned, since all were conceived with your involvement. It's very frustrating to be on the other side of the founder-employee divide.

deleted 14y ago

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dchichkov 14y ago

I guess, there is some correlation between being worthy of YC club and successfully negotiating yourself a founder title. That's probably one of the reasons, why somebody with a non-founder title can't get in that easily. Saying that, such situation is likely to has negative outcome for the company. A conflict in the founding team and high likelihood of significant contributors leaving the company and abandoning projects can't be good.

malandrew 14y ago
IMHO, anyone who has been around a company since the last major pivot (significantly different product, market or business model) should deserve the founder title. I am employee #1 at the startup I'm at and I've been here since we were a completely different company, targeting a different market with a different product. Being present before these major pivots, means you are very likely to make major contributions to the new direction of the company. This in a way makes you a founder. You may not be the founder of the legal entity, but you are a founder of the company insofar as product, market and business model are concerned, since all were conceived with your involvement. It's very frustrating to be on the other side of the founder-employee divide.