TE
科技回声
首页24小时热榜最新最佳问答展示工作
GitHubTwitter
首页

科技回声

基于 Next.js 构建的科技新闻平台,提供全球科技新闻和讨论内容。

GitHubTwitter

首页

首页最新最佳问答展示工作

资源链接

HackerNews API原版 HackerNewsNext.js

© 2025 科技回声. 版权所有。

Ask HN: Do some YC values need to be softened?

10 点作者 cliffcrosland超过 9 年前
From what I understand, Homejoy was one of the fastest growing companies in YC history, and if I&#x27;m not mistaken, it closed down in part because it pursued too much international growth too early.<p>Additionally, it seems that the &quot;macro&quot; scandal at Zenefits may have been a result of taking the &quot;hack-the-system&quot; mindset too far.<p>In YC content, there is an influential essay emphasizing growth, and the YC application itself asks potential founders about moments when they&#x27;ve hacked a system to their advantage.<p>Are the YC values of &quot;startup = growth&quot; and &quot;hack-the-system&quot; taken too seriously or too far by founders? Are there healthy ways to soften the values to help founders avoid the pain Homejoy and Zenefits experienced?

6 条评论

coralreef超过 9 年前
HomeJoy closed down because it couldn&#x27;t drum up repeat business from its customers. At least according to this article: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.forbes.com&#x2F;sites&#x2F;ellenhuet&#x2F;2015&#x2F;07&#x2F;23&#x2F;what-really-killed-homejoy-it-couldnt-hold-onto-its-customers&#x2F;#2343070114cc" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.forbes.com&#x2F;sites&#x2F;ellenhuet&#x2F;2015&#x2F;07&#x2F;23&#x2F;what-really...</a>
manidoraisamy超过 9 年前
Technically, macro was a crack. Not a hack. Hack should make things; Not break things.<p>But, I think you are right. Hacks have gone through the hype cycle. When every programmer wants to &quot;hack&quot; to be in the elite circle, they tend to push the boundaries that are grey -&gt; unethical -&gt; unlawful. It&#x27;s like those greedy bankers - except that they want to look cool; instead of money.
jtfairbank超过 9 年前
YC provides an ethics statement and code of conduct to every startup they fund, and is serious about following up on this.<p>The &quot;startup = growth&quot; and &quot;hack-the-system&quot; are good mantras inside or outside YC, but are not a &quot;YC value&quot;.<p>If anything, I&#x27;d say the #1 thing that YC values are their founders, and they expect them to be smart, driven, and ethical.
argonaut超过 9 年前
What you are suggesting is that YC become more risk-averse (e.g. take less risks on founders that might be too aggressive).<p>If YC ever fails, it will be because they stopped taking risks, not because they took too many. For every 5 companies that rocket up and flame out spectacularly, there&#x27;ll be a company that rockets up and stays up.
1123581321超过 9 年前
PG wrote &quot;Do Things that Don&#x27;t Scale&quot; less than a year after &quot;Startup = Growth.&quot;
exolymph超过 9 年前
The nature of the startup game is that the majority will go bust. It is what it is.