Think about the asymmetry here. The cost to the community is that one of the front page slots gets taken up by the ad, we have to scroll more it takes some seco

Think about the asymmetry here. The cost to the community is that one of the front page slots gets taken up by the ad, we have to scroll more it takes some seconds to read, realize it's an ad, and move on. The benefit is that there's a pretty good chance the kind of people YC companies want to hire are reading this site, a match is made, and for at least one person there is a big payoff. In the cost benefit analysis I think the job postings win hands down. If you want a news aggregator rather than a community site there are several really good ones elsewhere. A different point put metaphorically is that this comment is like enjoying the snacks and drinks at a party and then vocally complaining that the Russian tea cakes taste like crap. You might be right but maybe the more tactful thing to do is just avoid them.