Thank you, Y Combinator

Thank you, Garry Tan.

Garry is one of the nicest, most helpful people I know. 5 years ago, he took a meeting with us, even though we had a barely functioning prototype, and helped us prep for our YC interview. After our first meeting, he even offered to meet up again. I was blown away by how generous he was with his time. We got into YC and he’s been an incredible advisor ever since.

He’s one of the few people I like to think of when I think of Silicon Valley at its best. He genuinely loves product and the creation process. He’s hugely helpful and he’s a great person, through and through.

Look forward to seeing what he does next!

End of an era! While a lot of ex-founder partner/VC people seem to think mostly about nation-building, vision, and the marketing buzzwords you'd find on an analytics dashboard, Garry's advice is always extremely concrete and close the the metal. When success came, he never rolled down his sleeves and stopped building and that's something most of us around here can really respect.

Enjoy your time away Garry, excited to see what you build next!

You're one of a kind, my friend. Our industry needs more Garry Tans. So... I guess what I'm saying is make more babies!

Working with Garry at YC was one of the highlights of my career. He simply cares more about other people than anyone I've ever met, which makes him both a dream colleague and friend.

Garry is an incredible person and like most remarkable people he is also deeply humble. This kindness and approachable spirit, I think, allow him to be a great student of founders, startups, and cultures. I've learned quite a bit from Garry about how systems evolve and operate. He is a very rare person and a gift to the startup world.

Thanks Garry for all that you've done for the YC community. I wish you the very best in this next leg of your journey.

Garry was the partner we leaned on most at Ridejoy. He believed in what we were doing, helped us cut through to the highest priority work, and gave us tough love when we needed it.

Thank you Garry for being an amazing YC partner. I'm sure we'll be hearing about what you work on next soon, and in the meantime, enjoy the well-deserved R&R!

Garry's advice and support throughout YC (and afterwards) was unparalleled, but more importantly, he's just a really good person. I'll never forget when he broke out Photoshop during office hours and redesigned our app on the spot!

Congrats and enjoy some much deserved time away!

Hi Garry. I interviewed for W11 with my brother Andy. We flew out from Boston. We rented an RV and lived in it for a week before the interview. That fall was the first year the interviews were split between two rooms. We pitched a startup that helped people rent things (bouncy castles, excavators, photo booths etc) for temporary use. The interview didn't go well. I was fumbling all over and remember feeling hopeless. Then you stepped in and asked a bunch of optimistic product questions, driving the interview to a better place. We didn't end up getting in, but to this day I still remember the experience I had with you and consider the interview one of the best things I ever did. Thank you.

Garry really is as remarkable as all these comments are saying. He has an original mind and a kind heart and that's a damn fine combination. I'm so glad to know him. Yay Garry!

Garry is one of the best human beings out there.

One fond memory that resonates well with how he thinks and works with other people was in an office hour we had with him. I asked him why he does what he does and his response was simple: "I do this to help people get out of the rat race."

Thank you, Garry, for everything.

Wow, that's a pair of shoes that will be very hard to fill. Enjoy your rest and I'm really curious what you'll be doing next.

I don't know Garry super well but in our few conversations I found him to be one of the smartest and most generous founders I've come across.

Enjoy the time away, Garry!

Every office hours session we had with Garry we came away buzzing, the man has an amazing ability to inject raw enthusiasm when you are questioning yourself the most.

I wish him all the best in his future endeavors!

Garry, you provided feedback on a YC application in 2008. Thanks again for the help then, and all the best moving forward.

Congratulations on a great tenure at YC and best wishes for whatever's next! Your advice and friendship at YC are one of my fondest memories of our time there.

Garry is a hero. He is extremely nice, very kind, and has more empathy for the founder than anyone I know. Whatever he does next, I wish him happiness and success.

Garry, Thank you for your advice while we were there. I think I came in with my startup around the same time you came in as a partner.

I was always impressed with your calm demeanor and thoughtful pointers. YC is, in many ways a frenzied whirlwind for founders and it was great to have people like you around who made me feel that everything was going to work out OK.

And it did.

Best of luck on your future endeavors.

Thanks Garry. I met you once in Waterloo, Canada in 2011, and you convinced me that I should start my own startup. I didn't start one yet, but I will be doing that some day following your advice.

We'll miss you, man. Enjoy your family time.

Will definitely be missed. Garry is exceptionally kind, sharp, and helpful in an organization full of exceptional, kind and helpful people. Hope to work with you again, but love the decision you're making to spend time with family. Can't go wrong with investing in family time!

So is this a sabbatical or is he actually stepping away from YC?

Never got a chance to meet Garry but always enjoyed following his blog and the insights/advice he shared. He always seemed incredibly genuine and vested in the success of others. Best of luck in this next chapter, Garry!

I will miss you so much Garry!

Garry is unbelievably caring and helpful (I'll never forget his casually brilliant omnigraffling). We're all lucky that the world contains Garry Tan :)

Garry has been incredibly impactful to us, even after we graduated YC. Can't wait to see what's next!

Enjoy your time abroad, Garry.

Having made the same choice and taking time off after my child was born, I totally understand. Thanks Garry!

Although I then went and started a startup, so I guess slightly different. :) Turns out starting the startup has actually given me a lot of time to spend with the kid since I work from home! Hint hint. ;)

Garry was endlessly supportive and encouraging through all the tough times at YC. He'll be missed!!

Garry is (and always will be) the man. Have fun in Europe!

Enjoy you time in North Spain Garry! You've choosen a very good destination. Take care where you go in winter time, the weather (wind)is not always outdoors/kids friendly as it is the rest of the year. Please, get in touch if you need advice from a local.

Big thanks for everything Garry, good luck in whatever comes next and enjoy the well earned rest!

Thank you Garry for everything you've helped me with. Good luck with your new adventure!

Garry! Garry! Garry!

Thanks for all you do for YC and the community. Congratulations on your new adventures!

The world needs more people like Garry Tan. He's one of the kindest, humble, and most genuine people you'll ever meet. Garry helped us tremendously during and after YC.

Can't wait to hear to see what you end up doing next! Thank you, Garry!

Thank you, Garry! Your perspective, advice and support was invaluable through YC.

Congrats Garry! Spending time with family. Thats what it's all about.

Enjoy Garry! I was just in the south of France, it was a very different world and one of the best trips I've taken. Let me know if you're looking for any recommendations.

One of the greatest (and nicest) guys around. Best of luck Garry!

Thanks for the help Garry, enjoy!

I would love to be able to write software full time. Alas, without a Uni degree, it looks hopeless. I wish software was my life's purpose :-(

Gary, our conversations were insightful and sharp. I always enjoyed the cut of your jib -- you'll be missed. Enjoy your adventure!

It was the best of times, <3 <3 <3!

We'll all miss seeing you at YC Garry!

Garry Tan provided some great feedback on my teams YC application, thanks man. I wish you the best moving forward!

Garry, thank you for everything!

Garry is amazing. All the best!

Nice choice of destination for family time and relax... Welcome to Spain colega.

I like his priorities.

I got interested in the Meteor.js framework a while back when I saw a quote from Garry something roughly like: this is what web development should be like

It must feel great for Garry knowing he has helped so many people.

End of an Era.

Garry is one of the most incredible people we worked with at YC. Thanks, Garry!

Garry is the real deal.

Congratulations Gary!

All the best Garry.

Best wishes to Garry on his new adventure!

Looking forward to see what's next

Garry, thank you for your kindness :)

Take care! One thing that I want to point out (and it's something I hate to point out) but would it be a good idea to edit out the upcoming trip and how long it'll be? Normally it's the best idea to not post, publicly, where you're going and how long you'll be gone for and Gary is semi-well known.

Just throwing that out there.