HN Explorer

Fuck you YC

14 points by websitescenes ↗ HN
I did not apply this to this round of YC because I realized something. I am diametrically opposed to the funding model of YC. In fact, I hate what you're doing to the world.

I've wanted to get into YC for about 8 years now and applied almost every round with different groups and ideas. I put on workshops and networked looking for the perfect co-founders. Hell, I even had an in with a prominent YC alumni. None of that mattered. I got rejection after rejection but I kept applying. But this year something has changed. I got angry. Maybe hurt. The side effect of my disillusion was that I stopped idolizing your organization and started realistically examining it. I have come to some conclusions.

You are the architects of the next great recession and I really hate you for that. You all are some irresponsible, selfish babies. Why? Well, you create this facade of wealth and success, while most often providing no real world value. These mirages of success find easy marks in optimistic investors looking for a big score. This as a variation of a ponzi scheme. Pumping money into worthless products with no return will lead to a bubble with devastating long term effects.

The world is catching on though. Investors are already dwindling and stock prices dropping. The fairy tale couldn't last forever. So here's to you YC, fuck you. Really.

22 comments

[ 4.5 ms ] story [ 64.8 ms ] thread
samfisher83
If you got in and made some of that money you wouldn't be complaining. Its the nature of VC. A lot of failures and a few big winners.
websitescenes
I have no shortage of money now. I wanted to get in so I could work with and be around smart people but now I realized they are gaming us all.
coreyp_1
Perhaps you are a little too hard on YC.

Here's the thing: You do not need YC to succeed/make money/do great things. YC is a tool that comes with a cost (it is a business, after all). If you do not need that tool, then please do not denigrate those who do.

Having said that, perhaps you should view this as an 8 year education in philosophy/business. Just don't become bitter or vitriolic. Rather, you should put your philosophy and ideas into motion, and in so doing fulfill the idea that you have towards success. In fact, I wish you well in your endeavors, because you, me, and the rest of the world will benefit from it. Good luck, and enjoy the ride!

websitescenes
"perhaps you should view this as an 8 year education in philosophy/business"

That's awesome. I love this

atmosx
"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves" - C.G. Jung
jl87
It sounds like you're blaming others for your failure. Perhaps that attitude is why you didn't get in.

As an entrepreneur, it's always your fault. Stop blaming others.

websitescenes
It was not my intent to blame others; just to point out that this type of model is unsustainable.
minimaxir
I am particularly amused that this submission is getting a lot of upvotes. :P
angry-hacker
Because it's an interesting topic in a sense that you understand what this person feels - bitterness. Doesn't matter if it's right or wrong. Human, after all.
websitescenes
This was precisely my motivation for writing this. I used to write fabricated articles and posts trying to get attention and recognition. It ended up being more of the same boring, endless drivel. I'm motivated to move away from that and into pieces that truly represent me, regardless of how that is perceived.
angry-hacker
Go for it, I feel you. I do think you're being bitter and your emotions are overwhelming. But I do agree startup worlds sucks, also the corporate world and most working places. And most of the life.

So yeah. Be free. Fuck YC. Fuck most of the things in life.

hellofunk
Rejection can cause two reactions, and yours is one of them. It is also not the reaction that is productive.

I think it was Stephen King who said every rejection letter he received from publishers, he would pin it to his wall. They were all over his place. So you've applied over 8 years; King got a lot more than 8 rejections. Use them to fuel your motivation, that is how you direct your response. Just cursing at everyone with a "Fuck You" subject line is not likely going to make you a better businessman, let alone a better human being.

pavornyoh
Please calm down. Before YC, there were others that were able to build businesses and were successful. People are often so bent on getting into YC, TechStars etc. that they forget they can be successful without them.

That being said, even if YC takes you in it does not mean you will be successful. Others have actually failed after getting into YC.

So stop being angry and get YC out of your head. Focus on what you think that great idea is. Rejection although hard should serve as motivation for you. So don't quit what you are doing if you think it is great idea.

Winston Churchill said: "When you are going through hell, keep going" so do exactly that.

websitescenes
Why do you all assume I'm not successful now? I do not need YC, I just wanted to get in to work with and be around smart people.
brador
> Pumping money into worthless products with no return

This part shows your fundamental misunderstanding of what startups are all about.

9 failures for 1 success is expected. That means 9 worthless products, for 1 hit. But you don't know they're worthless until they've developed enough to be tested by the market. And that sometimes takes money. And that is what YC is about.

The truth is you're applying to YC just to be in YC, part of the club. You need to have a great idea and show you can execute and make a return for investors who believed in you and took your bet. Do that and the door is wide open, just like it has been the last 8 times you applied.

There is no shame in getting up and trying again, so good luck to you in the next round.

websitescenes
Geez man, you almost make me want to apply again..

"The truth is you're applying to YC just to be in YC, part of the club."

This line resonates with me. I come from a place where there are not many people to relate to on a technical level and sometimes it's lonely here. I love this city and will not move away because I value the friendships and family that I have here. It seems kind of silly now, but I wanted to bring some of that SF money here. I wanted to make a place for me to belong here. I wanted to bring some of that overflowing wealth into my border city. I'm still trying, just in a different way now.

"You need to have a great idea and show you can execute and make a return for investors who believed in you and took your bet."

This is probably where I have failed. I have built a few "prototypes" on github and deployed a few instances for local companies but besides a modest return, I haven't been able to convince anyone to "bet" on me. At this point, I've pretty much given up. I work full time to support my family and find little time to dream these dreams anymore.

new_comment
Reality is VC is herd mentality which relies on deal flow to be successful. Winning firms see the best startups, invest first and the cycle continues. YC is a devilishy clever way of front-running[1] VC deal flow. They give you a peanuts amount of money, a lot of abstract culture/network spiel which does have some value (i.e.- "it's who you know, not what you know"), and they get to see all the deal flow first. At the end of the day, its a way to step in front of angels and VC firms. Like any investor, they only care about the investment. It seems a bit culty too, but that's the valley[2].

More entrepreneurs should follow the bootstrapping advice of Dr. Terman and shun "joining established firms".[3]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_running [2] http://www.wired.com/2014/04/mike-judge-silicon-valley/ [3] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/HP_garag...

websitescenes
“They were true believers in something, and I don’t know what it was.”

I nearly died.