Between friends I think you're right. But the discussion here is a pitch to investors (or YC). The point is that you need to be very deliberate and explicit.

Between friends I think you're right. But the discussion here is a pitch to investors (or YC). The point is that you need to be very deliberate and explicit. The questions asked are very focused on sussing out not just what the product is, but if the founder has a clear and concise vision of what makes it super valuable. In this case, presenter gets really rattled, and ends up defending all these weird edge cases because PG is throwing him off (on purpose). Lots of people have great ideas, and even great products, but as PG says at the end - if you can't explain precisely what your product does, it speaks not only to issues of the product, but to the team that runs it. And OF COURSE, that doesn't mean it's the only indicator of success, but it's a good sign. But more importantly than being able to pitch, Kyle demonstrated something far more valuable - the ability to pursue his vision doggedly year in and year out until he built something people wanted.