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Do stats exist on the reasons YC start-ups failed? From my casual reading of news.yc it seems most start-ups in general fail due to social shortcomings, not fa

by parfe 13y ago

Do stats exist on the reasons YC start-ups failed? From my casual reading of news.yc it seems most start-ups in general fail due to social shortcomings, not failures from inability to solve technical issues. The tech world in general has some bias against what it takes to be a social person. See talks about meritocracy and engineers running the planet. There is definitely a lack of respect for the effort and ability it takes to actually deal with people, which is what most of life involves.

6ren 13y ago
One seemingly unhelpful answer is that the only way a startup ever fails is by the founders giving up. But when you consider startups like AirBnB, who at one time were selling politician-themed breakfast cereal, maybe it is the simple truth. Never give up; never fail.
- johnchristopher 13y ago
  > One seemingly unhelpful answer is that the only way a startup ever fails is by the founders giving up. > But when you consider startups like AirBnB, who at one time were selling politician-themed breakfast cereal, maybe it is the simple truth. Never give up; never fail. This is magical thinking.
bluekeybox 13y ago
In a different context, I can easily see a thread here on HN talking about how most start-ups fail because their founders are simply not smart enough. Not in this context, though.
kazagistar 13y ago
The label smart is very unhelpful. I am practiced in abstract problem solving, and I spend a good deal of time at it, so I am good at it. I am practiced at debate and dispute, and spend a good deal of time at it, so I am pretty good at it too. I spend less time socializing with people, so I am not quite as good at it. The brain is elastic; we are smart at what we practice, and it is good to sit down and practice your weaknesses as well as your strengths. Someone with really high level interpersonal skills is just as much a genius, they just practiced social gatherings and influence and such instead of, dunno, debugging linux configurations or learning set theory or whatever.

by parfe 13y ago

6ren 13y ago

One seemingly unhelpful answer is that the only way a startup ever fails is by the founders giving up. But when you consider startups like AirBnB, who at one time were selling politician-themed breakfast cereal, maybe it is the simple truth. Never give up; never fail.

johnchristopher 13y ago
> One seemingly unhelpful answer is that the only way a startup ever fails is by the founders giving up. > But when you consider startups like AirBnB, who at one time were selling politician-themed breakfast cereal, maybe it is the simple truth. Never give up; never fail. This is magical thinking.

bluekeybox 13y ago

In a different context, I can easily see a thread here on HN talking about how most start-ups fail because their founders are simply not smart enough. Not in this context, though.

kazagistar 13y ago

The label smart is very unhelpful. I am practiced in abstract problem solving, and I spend a good deal of time at it, so I am good at it. I am practiced at debate and dispute, and spend a good deal of time at it, so I am pretty good at it too. I spend less time socializing with people, so I am not quite as good at it. The brain is elastic; we are smart at what we practice, and it is good to sit down and practice your weaknesses as well as your strengths. Someone with really high level interpersonal skills is just as much a genius, they just practiced social gatherings and influence and such instead of, dunno, debugging linux configurations or learning set theory or whatever.