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Hmm, not sure Airbnb was the best example to start off with to support that YC has contrarian thinking. PG thought Airbnb was a stupid idea, and only agreed to
by jmtame 13y ago
Hmm, not sure Airbnb was the best example to start off with to support that YC has contrarian thinking. PG thought Airbnb was a stupid idea, and only agreed to invest on them on a whim. It was a Black Swan event how Airbnb ended up at YC through Michael Seibel. Tutorspree makes sense, I don't see it as crazy in the same way that Airbnb was. Same goes for Flightcar, but great startup idea. YC is generally investing in growth/traction at this stage and not crazy ideas or founders. PG alluded to this in Farming for Black Swans. I believe they were looking for certain types of founders in 2008-2009, but that has changed. Not fully convinced that YC is driven by contrarian thinking today.