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I'm going back and forth about how smart it is to reply to this seeing as the point I was trying to make was not "Wah YC rejected us because we're different!!!"
by mbellotti 13y ago
I'm going back and forth about how smart it is to reply to this seeing as the point I was trying to make was not "Wah YC rejected us because we're different!!!"
For the record, I've always really respected YC for being honest and up front about biases. I find it very refreshing, because most everyone else is too scared of being accused of discrimination to admit it. Everyone has biases. Every VC and angel is going to try to match what's in front of them to something they know when assessing the potential value. I have no doubt that YC will accept a great company that doesn't fit the "type", we spoke to lot of companies like that before we came out to SF.
What I'm curious about is YC's habit of "fund without idea" or "fund for new idea" ... how likely is it that someone against the traditional startup type would be given that opportunity? I don't know the answer because there's no data on what ideas people came into YC with, vs what they left with ... but it's an interesting question to me because cognitive biases are an interesting topic to me.
The people who think they are smart enough to think their way out of their own biases are usually the ones who fall victim to them the most often. So I've always really seen YC's honesty about this as a GOOD sign, not fodder for criticism.
- lsiebert 13y agoThe thing working with data has taught me is that humans are bad about guessing outcomes. Expectations are constantly trumped by the data, if you look at the data with an eye for your own biases. In any case, thank you for sharing your experience.
- unreal37 13y agoThis isn't a dig, so don't take it as one. But you mention in the article that you have felt like this your whole life - people have tried to fit you against a preconceived stereotype and you don't fit one. You also said that before the interview you were worried about the interview for that reason. Perhaps that's your bias?