Startup Culture vs the Art of Software | Hacker News Reader

Startup Culture vs the Art of Software

carlos.bueno.org

1 pointaristus5 comments

Comparing investors to record labels etc is a little harsh. They're notorious for leaving bands with nothing. Whereas as rich as investors get from startups, founders get richer. (Myspace is a famous exception precisely because it's an exception.) Two YC startups have gotten bought so far, and the founders made a lot more than we did.

Si, a little harsh. You are not Lou Pearlman. I am trying to get at the effect of fashion and the star-making network on how "talent" behaves and the art advances.

It's a great time to start a startup. You can get going on the cheap, just as a band can get their equipment from the pawn shop and start off at their favorite bar. But to keep going, to scale and get that big prize you need to embed yourself into the larger network of financiers & promoters.

At times you position YC as an alternative to the VC world, when it's really a leg up into it. Is VC pressure to hire a CEO that different from replacing Pete Best with Ringo?

A similar argument was raised on another blog, to which Adam Siegel left an appropriate reply. Have a look:

http://www.midasoracle.org/2007/02/22/are-nathan-kontny-and-adam-siegel-of-inkling-markets-being-exploited-by-paul-grahams-y-combinator/

Like most other hackers, I am not applying to YC for the investment. 5000(1 + n) is really not a large sum. In fact, I already have half that amount sitting in my bank account (student fees, :p). Our reason for applying to YC is to have the opportunity to create something larger than us (apologies for the cliche). There is no better place to do it than through Y Combinator. YC works at the same wavelength as its hackers; that is a considerable difference between a VC and Y Combinator.

If you were an aspiring hip/hop musician, would you rather go to Shady Records for a record label or Donald Trump?

Sure, sure, it's a good gig, and more help than you get from a bank or Uncle Ralph. I am not too worried about how the pie is cut, but more about the fact that without involvement from the network, everyone says you have no chance at all. That influences which projects we kids think about, what talents we choose to develop, and so on. Just like the music biz.

Thanks for sharing this nice article

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