Hamilton is a great guy and I think the thinking behind his acceptance to YC is pretty clear ... "Let's give him a chance. He's succeeded at everything else he's ever done in life."
I hope to pull a Hamilton.
True or false, the people who get into havard are the people who don't need to go to harvard?
the people who get into YC, are the people who don't need YC?
Getting into YC as two MIT undergrads who've been coding since kindergarten is very hard.
Getting in a solo business founder is much harder.
So, if you don't have a track record of doing incredible stuff, you should a) calibrate your expectations, and b) start doing incredible stuff (and apply later)
1. Its hard to get into
2. tons of great companies have been started that didn't go through YC (in fact with a few exceptions almost all of them)
3. its a great opportunity, but most of the companies that get into YC, don't amount to jack
just getting in doesn't mean you've made it, and there is no reason you can't make if you don't
calculus is similar to what I'd tell a high school kid about going to Harvard, if you happen to get to go cool, its a great opportunity, but you shouldn't treat that as the gatekeeper to your success
His results speak for themselves, and almost as importantly, his decisions show an independence streak and willingness to break with the herd and win in his own way. This is something every founder needs to get through the trough of sorrow.
I mean, good for him, I'm not surprise he was taken in