Cardeck1

It's one thing to talk about empathy and another to actually have it or feel it. I am sure >80-90% people on HN don't have it only to a certain degree but they think the exact opposite of this.Also you have to take into consideration your character, where, when and how you were raised etc. Empathy is broken in many pieces. Even if you think you have it, sometimes you don't. Others are just gifted with a deeper empathy and so on. If you think I'm wrong or need additional explanation, I will be happy to talk about it.

@TheBiv You just proved you do not understand empathy at all.

I agree. The reason people think ideas are "a dime a dozen" is because everyone overrates their ideas and you can't really measure the value of an idea unless it's executed. However, I must admit that after years of experience I must say the statement is not really true. 80% of the ideas suck. Plain and simple.

It doesn't matter if you are in the Valley or if you are super smart, some people are not made to create/innovate, only execute based on someone's idea. But those people who are able to create are an exception.

Have you ever met someone without a degree or any experience, looking at your product and telling you 100 ways to improve it?I met a guy/wonderkid or whatever that was able to do just that, and he is working for a hedge fund now as far as I know. It took him 20 min to give us an entire improvement plan on how to increase revenue without any papers or anything prepared.We had even backup plans and future competitor moves. He basically humiliated my A+ employee stars who were struggling for months.I was shocked.

A nuclear war would end us all. There are no winners in this scenario. If you think a country would stand a chance, you clearly do not know the nuclear capabilities of today. One thing I hate though is the "we are invincible, nr.1 etc" attitude of some americans on vice.com. I don't understand why they keep going with that mentality. It's ridiculous...

Well yes, YC likes the "we met in college" and I see your point but it doesn't mean it's flawless. Stronger relationships? Yes, the only way? No. There is always a risk when it comes to startups. Just accepting that scenario only is stupid and misses a lot of potential out there.

If you believe that only a certain pattern can truly change the world you are mistaken. In fact, that is the crucial mistake every incubator is doing. True innovation almost always comes from unexpected places.

And you believe the billionaires who dropped out of college were 100% they would become rich in the future?

When it comes to startups there are no guarantees. Risk is high almost always, with some exceptions.

Well we wanted to build a similar project maybe more complex a few years ago and we tested some standard drones and some custom made ones for it and then we wanted to launch a service like this. We did some research about it and there weren't any regulations for drones so we waited...and we are still waiting...probably 2015 will be the year.

Maybe the official world's first drone delivery. We tested this service years ago but unfortunately the FCC regulations stopped us.

So the question "are we innovative enough to follow?" is somehow exaggerated. We could've asked the same question 4-5 years ago. The better question would be "When will the FCC adapt to innovation?"

Yes, it's true but you need discipline also. Hit me up. I'll be happy to give you some tips about all these.

I agree but we are talking about cofounders.Maybe I missed a new message from yesterday.

I agree with the risk associated with people you barely know but IF you are smart enough you'll pick someone who is less likely to fail in your team.That is of course another very rare set of skills, to know what to pick and how, but we are assuming that the single founder has that ability. Perhaps I am too confident on this one because I almost never fail in hiring (no arrogance intended) but with the homework done and that "thing", the chances are much higher to withstand that kind of pressure.Now that I think about it, it's probably a cultural thing. Your criterias match the US market more which is understandable and indeed those relationships are hard to maintain but "internationally speaking" you can find what you're looking for, easier.

Perhaps my second statement was misunderstood. No way you guys created the YC application form to eliminate talent. That wouldn't make sense. The intentions were positive but formed some kind of barriers for some applicants. It's like going hunting with a good weapon to catch a good prey (and you do catch some)when there are better weapons at your disposable. So I'm not saying YC is not successful because it would be stupid to say it. What I am saying is, you can significantly improve the success/failure ratio by taking into consideration other indicators as well. You are losing money anyway but you don't know it. Who knows what startups you missed/are missing until now that could've brought you more money than those that already did.Why swim in a small pool when you have a bigger one at your disposal. Also the YC app form reflects jury's mind.

Why are we acting as single founders are single forever?It's like, once you enter YC as a single founder you cannot hire anyone else to aid you in your startup, being forever alone.

We both know quality developers would LOVE working for a YC startup and it should be no problem hiring someone as a co-founder IF you know how to pick. Now, of course, that co-founder was not born in the same hospital as you and you might not have that super SyFy connection as super old time buddies but will that lead to a startup failure?No,I don't think so.

In fact I am willing to bet that even a non-technical single founder (ye, we don't like them) with no experience what-so-ever, can handle YC application process. How? Raw/natural talent, cleverness, cunningness etc. Qualities hard to measure and observe, no doubt, but most valuable. If you can get a founder like that, there should be no problems in the future. Going "by the paper" is not always the best choice.

EDIT: And in all honesty the YC Application form is cleverly made to target a specific group of people, eliminating a huge amount of talent and in some points minimizing innovation.

That is hilarious:))How can you take a company like that seriously?

I'm not gonna go on the conspiracy road but the world is functioning on the wrong parameters. Instead of being a united civilization and help each other in order to advance to a higher level, we are fighting each other like lions for supremacy in every domain possible.

Our whole system is based on superficial needs and wants rather than focusing on what we really need as species/civilization.

How can we expect innovation and progress when we can't even cross the damn ocean without selling our souls...we can't even cross our own borders without special rules. Not to mention that racism is high in many countries. We are divided as hell. If an advanced race would watch us right now they would probably laugh hard and leave.

Good start but you should include an email for others to see. Good luck.

If you are searching for an experienced entrepreneur (not a good idea - see above post) you cannot expect to pay him a 2K pre-tax salary. As far as I know, an immigrant gets almost the same amount for low-level jobs. If you substract the living expenses, you will end up with almost nothing. Maybe you should try Eastern Europe countries for a salary like that, unfortunately racism is off the charts in UK lately so that's not an option. I have a business in the UK also and even though my employees from EE are really smart they are still rejected by the british community.

Try to get some "fresh blood" instead of a super-extra experienced entrepreneur. You'll find out it's easier to work with and will probably be extra motivated to learn and get things done. And no, I am not talking about myself. Happy recruiting though.

Maybe I'm wrong but you can't beat free...Besides, since FB is worth 112$ billion, it means it works. I don't think people care about privacy enough to pay a subscription. And don't think those websites are bulletproof.

A salmon run.

Is it your idea?You just said you "see them using..." Anyway, to validate an idea for the US Market, you need an MVP and a promising team if you want to go for Y Combinator. Yet, a team full of internationals would have a low chance of getting in.

I must ask..What do you do for a living?I mean, in all honesty, you look like a gardener trying to build a spaceship. You have no idea what you're doing.If it was a contest how come you paid for the package?

I like innovation but Google is getting too powerful and I don't want to see an Umbrella Corporation in the next 20 years.

This is child's play compared to the information they will gather from Google Glasses...Imagine what they could do with that...

Am I the only one who sees a tech-war coming in the next 10 years?I always suspected that as new tech arises the chances of seeing a war rises too.

As far as I know there is a stealth startup doing this already. One of my friends is involved in it.So if you want some advice I could ask him to talk to you depending on what you want to find out. Security is a big issue here of course.

I agree with you in some points.What I was trying to say is, we should stop the thinking that we, as technical people, have the best ideas and the best thinking and we are the ultimate SELECTORS when it comes to building a team and creating a startup.

Now, I don't know how everyone sees an "idea guy".For example, for me an "idea guy" = someone who is not involved in the startup/business world at all and suddenly comes up with a "brilliant idea" in a domain he does not understand at all.Now, of course I wouldn't work with him.But if a non-tech guy comes to me with a clear idea and he knows his stuff around the product and his familiar with the startup/tech scene, of course I would work with him.What I want from him is not really programming but insane passion, creativity, dedication, hungry to learn anything relevant to his product etc. And let me tell you, I rarely fail with this strategy.But who asks these questions nowadays?Nobody.Everyone is interested if the non-technical guy is a technical guy...No wonder there is so much terror when it comes to these people.

"I have drawers full of those kinds of ideas I could build, I don't need an idea person for that."

"I could do myself with a trivial effort"

This is ridiculous, you know that?I'm a programmer too but I can't say I have a drawer full of super-mega-awesome ideas.If that were true you would be a billionaire by now.

So how about we stop bragging about it?Because in reality most of us don't have those revolutionary ideas.You know why?Because we overthink it too much.Sometimes an outside mind can see things clearer even if it's not technical.

Arrogance kills innovation all the time.

IF you are willing to learn, I might know someone that can help you.But he doesn't work with everyone.He is definitely one of the best there is.Email me and I'll see what I can do.No promises.Thanks.

We will see in the near future I guess...

I wouldn't call them first-movers because there are some companies including Nokia, Apple and Microsoft that already had a smartwatch project on hold.

Plus the fact that Pebble is focusing on sports watches.The others will focus on a full-featured smarwatch.

"WE technologists","it's well-known that WE","answer to arrogant non-technical forces","forced","miserable working lives","half-decent money","what WE have to deal with","non-technical Who-The-Fuck-Knows","We have the talent to stop the world if WE want to do so","WE do to win back","rightfully ours","restore OUR industry","WE answer only to our own","WE do to SHAME...out of existence","phony startups".

How about you start showing some respect for other people's work?We have something called Diversity, ok?Some people are engineers, some doctors..some make more money than you, some don't.Fair or not, this is how the world works.

You can't just come here and say "WE" in order to make us feel we are on the same boat.Speak for yourself.And your attitude makes me sick.I mean, who do you think you are?the architect of the world(speaking of arrogance)?Who are you to say what's "rightfully yours" and what's not?Your post is so insulting that I won't even bother talking about the rest of it.No wonder you're so frustrated.

One thing is for sure though: I would never work with someone with a personality like yours.And by the looks of it not many people do.