marcomonteiro

No. I don't like it either. Primary because I'm a single founder and secondly because it does ignore the other opinions posted. Also I'm not going to give up or stop working on my product because I don't have a co-founder. Not to say I wouldn't take one or two on later if they can be a valuable asset to the company, just that this work must be done now and I'm the only one who showed up for work today.

The line is drawn by agreement. The relationship is explicitly specified. It would be foolish on the part of either of them to not be clear on this point.

I for one appreciate the insight into how you run things. I especially liked the point you made about encouraging mastery (horizontal) instead of managerial (vertical) promotion. So, thank you for sharing.

I'd say if they lack the skills to build it, they should be developing those skills instead of trying to attract developers. When you start thinking like a hacker, you'll know how to attract them.

Then again, I'm kind of a control freak who refuses to depend on anyone. Help is nice but I'd rather make inroads myself rather than wait.

I just download Chrome specifically to use this. It looks great! Thank you.

This looks awesome! I want to build this into apps for iPad 2.

I don't believe this is particularly relevant, at least on the part of the OP.

Actually considering he was asked WHY he didn't choose them it was the perfect place for it. The fact that he bolded that line only served to highlight his real and only true objection --- the development environment. Everything else he addressed was secondary and he would have probably taken the job even with all those other points. After the interview it really doesn't matter much what the interviewing process was like, but the development environment is something that will be with him everyday.

His whole email could have been summed up as "you're on Windows, I don't do Windows". That's not condescending, that's his preference and HIS reason for not taking the job.

I agree it wouldn't hurt to keep the door open but I also don't believe he was being condescending. The platform a company uses is indicative of a whole lot. In this case, that it's a Windows shop. No one said there's anything wrong with that but that's not what he wants.

"This is actually the potential hire's chance to pay me a compliment, give a small amount of feedback, and keep the door open for the future in case their other "better" option falls through."

That's quite narcissistic and self-absorbed. You're really not that important and to take a letter like this and try to paint it as a "blessing in disguise" is arrogant and foolish.

He doesn't want to work in a Windows shop. He wanted to be able to work with particular technologies. He's a new grad and idealistic. He has preferences and opinions and had the insight to skip working in an environment he believed he wouldn't do well in. He's not a bad hire, just a bad hire for your organization. Get over it.

I don't think anyone should try to get rejected everyday. That's like trying to get hit by a car by running into a busy street, it's bound to happen. I'm also not a fan of trying to be the "next big thing". What's wrong with being the next small thing and being really great at it?

Sorry about that. I was originally referring to MassChallenge's program in my comment and trying to point out that $50k free and clear doesn't make it better (as in better than YC taking an equity position).

A few years ago we used CD Baby to distribute records right about the same time that they began offering digital distribution to the iTunes store. It was an awesome tool for us as an independent label. It sure beat consignment agreements with record stores.

Artist have a pain, record label greed and shady business practices. Amazon, Apple, etc. have a pain, record label greed and shady business practices. The question I have is how do people discover new music now? There was a time when radio airplay and MTV was a major contributor to a record's success but what ways are most effective today?

I wouldn't be surprised if those kinds of questions weren't Apple's reasoning behind Ping.

The FAQ on MassChallenge's website said $50-100k and that there's a $199 entry fee. I don't know if I'm mistaking programs but YC didn't charge me to apply.

http://www.masschallenge.org/faq#q1

I think John was definitely in the wrong for attacking YC like that, especially on HN. I agree that definitely wasn't the way to promote MassChallenge.

I just recently applied to YC and it wasn't an easy decision. In fact I almost didn't apply for various reasons. Ultimately it was what the YC alumni have said about YC that made me decide to push forward. Getting $50k in cash is great, who wouldn't want that? But ultimately the odds of succeeding are dependent on so much more than whether you have enough cash to survive 3 to 6 months. Free doesn't make it better, it just makes it free.

From the FAQ's (http://ycombinator.com/faq.html)

Do we have to start a company in the US for you to invest in us?

Yes, but that's usually not a problem. It's easy for foreign nationals to start US companies (much easier than remaining here physically), and investors and acquirers prefer them.

Do we have to be US citizens?

No, as long as you can get here for at least three months. We've funded many startups founded by non-citizens.

Can you get us visas?

No, sorry, we don't do that. You'll have to figure out visas for yourself. If you know people from previous YC-funded companies who came from outside the US, we suggest you ask them for advice. They understand the options better than we do.

I've only been on HN for a few weeks but I also was hoping for a good mobile app. I was using Flipboard on the iPad at first but I felt cut off without the comments.

Especially the "thinking" type of people they desperately try to hire.

Thank you.

Can't we just start a startup to eliminate record labels entirely? Perhaps a YC for musicians?

Sorry, but I thought this was hilarious.

If you don't mind, could you elaborate?

I thought the same thing. The requirement for students may be a way to target those who have yet to enter the work force and even attempt to start a company. On the other hand, they're not taking an equity position? I don't get it.

I have a hard time respecting these kinds of "opinion as fact" posts. It would have probably been better to say he wouldn't or couldn't pay that much for a domain name and just leave it at that.

To mention thefacebook.com and twitr.com as examples completely undermined his entire point. Both of those networks changed their domain name prior to their user base exploding. Coincidence? Strategy? I don't know but there must have been some reasoning behind it and it seems to be paying off for them.