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Comment by bra-ket | Hacker News Reader

Every time I read about this company I get a feeling everyone involved is completely insane

I think it's a bit of an act: smart guys masquerading as bros because it was important for their original target market. I also don't think that tech talent is mutually exclusive with hip-hop culture.

a16z didn't make its reputation handing buckets of cash to dolts.

It's also said explicitly in the article that it was a bit of an act.

Um, acting like assholes in public to other humans is not acting. It's behaving.

Regardless, that's what rappers/hip hop artists do, so it was important for the founders to channel that attitude when they were getting started, in order to demonstrate their cultural authenticity.

Sure, but their cultural authenticity is transparently non-existent. It's like Malibu's Most Wanted, except they don't seem to get what the real joke is.

At least based on responses from /r/hiphopheads on reddit, anyone who even knows who the founders are think they're absolute jokes. They need a better act if they're pretending.

I used to think the same. But after meeting with some of its engineers and designer (yes, one), my perspective has changed quite a bit. Yes, many things they do range from insane to socially unacceptable, but they've got the brains.

Also, while they are making a lot of mistakes, they are getting a few key things very right as a startup: 1. building a strong culture and brand 2. dominating a niche before expanding out to other verticals (Geoffrey Moore's bowling ally theory).

> building a strong culture and brand

It's important to focus on building a positive culture and brand.

How did Hacker News evolve from the discussion board for YC, to the discussion board where the first comment on any post involving a YC company is reliably someone crapping on it? What an amazing shift.

Across the entire portfolio, most YC companies are cool are at least innocuous. But knowing that YC focuses on "the people", which includes the personality and behavior, puts extra scrutiny on the founders.

When they come across poorly it reflects on YC.

HN reliably craps on everything.

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