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I actually tend to like YC and the people it funds. They started with a noble mission, which was to provide access to funding for a larger set of people. I'd sa

I actually tend to like YC and the people it funds. They started with a noble mission, which was to provide access to funding for a larger set of people. I'd say that 75% of the YC founders I know are quality people. I do think that Silicon Valley's arrogance and general out-of-touch attitude-- and unashamedly handing out VC connections to children who already benefit from a massive private welfare system is pretty damn out of touch-- poses a threat to the reputation of technologists in general (including people like me) and I'm going to fight the tide by making fun of this sort of shit. When the country stops liking "the techies" I would at least hope that some of them would recognize that we're not all the same, and that lifelong engineers are of a different (and better) character than the reigning VC-halo/TechCrunch leadership.

anateus 13y ago
Did you read pg's clarification that's now at the top, and does it change your feelings about this particular instance?
namenotrequired 13y ago
They started with a noble mission, which was to provide access to funding for a larger set of people. I'm simply curious, did you mean to imply that this is something of the past?
- michaelochurch 13y ago
  I'm simply curious, did you mean to imply that this is something of the past? The use of past tense was more to reflect deficiencies in my knowledge. I was a huge fan of PG and YC circa 2006-7 because of what the original mission seemed to be: to make funding possible for less established or connected people. I have no reason to doubt that he has deviated from his mission; however, I avoided the present tense because I do not know that he stayed the course. I can speak with more confidence on the past, hence the use of that tense.
  - namenotrequired 13y ago
    Okay thanks for clarifying!
larrys 13y ago
"and that lifelong engineers are of a different (and better) character than the reigning VC-halo/TechCrunch leadership." In what way? That's not a disagreement or a challenge but I'm curious what you mean by "better". In any case isn't this exactly what happens when things become to popular and money is made? (Reminds me of that Paul Simon song where he refers to Joe Dimaggio.)
testrun 13y ago
can you elaborate on 'children who already benefit from a massive private welfare system'?
- michaelochurch 13y ago
  The current system isn't really socialism or capitalism. It's the best of both for a well-connected elite ("the 1%", but it's closer to 0.1%) and the worst of both for the rest. Their connections comprise a welfare system that keeps them from really failing.

anateus 13y ago

Did you read pg's clarification that's now at the top, and does it change your feelings about this particular instance?

namenotrequired 13y ago

They started with a noble mission, which was to provide access to funding for a larger set of people. I'm simply curious, did you mean to imply that this is something of the past?

michaelochurch 13y ago
I'm simply curious, did you mean to imply that this is something of the past? The use of past tense was more to reflect deficiencies in my knowledge. I was a huge fan of PG and YC circa 2006-7 because of what the original mission seemed to be: to make funding possible for less established or connected people. I have no reason to doubt that he has deviated from his mission; however, I avoided the present tense because I do not know that he stayed the course. I can speak with more confidence on the past, hence the use of that tense.
- namenotrequired 13y ago
  Okay thanks for clarifying!

larrys 13y ago

"and that lifelong engineers are of a different (and better) character than the reigning VC-halo/TechCrunch leadership." In what way? That's not a disagreement or a challenge but I'm curious what you mean by "better". In any case isn't this exactly what happens when things become to popular and money is made? (Reminds me of that Paul Simon song where he refers to Joe Dimaggio.)

testrun 13y ago

can you elaborate on 'children who already benefit from a massive private welfare system'?

michaelochurch 13y ago
The current system isn't really socialism or capitalism. It's the best of both for a well-connected elite ("the 1%", but it's closer to 0.1%) and the worst of both for the rest. Their connections comprise a welfare system that keeps them from really failing.