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Comment by TheMakeA | Hacker News Reader

As a 22 year old, I'd happily give $1000 to go to a YC dinner.

What would be interesting is if you could elaborate on a) where you would get the $1000 and how significant $1000 is to you personally (vs. whatever your assets are) b) what you would hope to gain by paying $1000 and doing this that you could get by being creative and not spending the money.

I guess his $1000 is worth the same than everyone else.

Only from a literal third party perspective. Someone whose family lives in a poor area and lives on food stamps will place a whole lot more value on $1,000 than a rich kid who gets the latest tech, his private high school tuition, and his car paid for by his parents.

Most aren't this black and white, of course, but the point is that a fixed amount of any asset can mean vastly different things to people in different circumstances.

A.) I have a job. $1000 is about 58% of what I pay for a month of rent, and about 1/3rd of my monthly income. B.) Meet people, have fun, absorb information from smart people in a memorable moment. I don't see it as much different from e.g. a WWDC ticket, which would be nearly double the cost.

I will add: I grew up relatively poor in Michigan. My parents income was less than $60k, so I couldn't really afford college. I moved into my own apartment when I was 18, and supported myself except for around $130/mo in cell phone and car insurance bills. The only remaining financial support from my parents is a $19/mo cell phone bill.

This year I moved to Silicon Valley with less than $3000 in pocket, and I now work at a startup.

And how would you feel about chatting with startup founders there when you yourself is not one of them?

I don't think it's about being in their social circle, but about the high concentration of smart people and being able to absorb their knowledge.

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