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Comment by simonw | Hacker News Reader

Don't be distracted by the Marine Corp analogy. This is a really accurate description of what it feels like to do YC.

The description makes me think I'm trying too hard at this stuff. What does an investor think when they see words assembled in this way?

I'm not bagging on this guy specifically, but this article/description is below-average writing even for a high-school dropout. I'm not trying to quibble on semantics or be a grammar-nazi, though I'm sure I'm doing both, but it's long, vague, jumpy, and plain hard to read.

Do you mean investors like Dave McClure who write in all lower case? Or investors like Matt Coffin, who writes his "you" with a u, even in public posts? Just trying to get a little clarification here. And, to answer your question, more than a dozen investors have thought, "Let me sign this convertible note."

It just sounds like a muddled thought process to me. Sorry man, nothing personal, it was actually a self-deprecating comment. You don't have to wave your checkbook around about it.

Just because they're investors doesn't mean they're off the hook for writing like crap. Having a lot of money isn't a free pass for mangling the English language.

neither does it mean they're awesome if they use perfect punctuation and grammar.

some optimize for speed & utility... others optimize for look & feel. neither is necessarily correct, just different.

No, but in general someone who takes the time to think and speak in complete sentences appears to be more thoughtful and thorough. I don't know about you but all other factors aside, I'd be more comfortable handing away a portion of my company to someone who says "I look forward to working with you" as opposed to "lol u and i will do gewd <3"

Why should we assume that this writing style is evidence of optimization rather than plain skill?

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