YC is not a VC. More importantly, YC is especially known for not blocking founders' wishes or interests. This has been true since forever and is one thing that attracted me as a founder to YC. It may be hard for you to believe, but YC was started by deeply decent people who understand all too well what being a founder is like, and Sam is squarely in that tradition.
I'm not saying you can't be cynical or feel what you feel. I'm saying that cynicism also should have a bar to clear. Painting everything black leaves everything black for everyone. That's intellectual vandalism. It wrecks the discussion in its vicinity, and ultimately wrecks the community, because people who don't like wet black paint all over everything will just leave.
What is the minimal bar that cynicism should clear? Addressing a strong version of what it's critiquing, rather than lazily picking a weak version in order to get straight to sniping. That's the Principle of Charity, and it's basic to intellectual honesty. Why should cynicism get a free pass just because of how it feels? If you had considered that bar before commenting, you couldn't have posted what you did.
I don't at all mean to pick on you personally and I hope I'm not coming across that way. This is a systemic question and I care about its systemic effects on HN. What you posted was no worse than what many people post, and that's the problem.
I'm not saying you can't be cynical or feel what you feel. I'm saying that cynicism also should have a bar to clear. Painting everything black leaves everything black for everyone. That's intellectual vandalism. It wrecks the discussion in its vicinity, and ultimately wrecks the community, because people who don't like wet black paint all over everything will just leave.
What is the minimal bar that cynicism should clear? Addressing a strong version of what it's critiquing, rather than lazily picking a weak version in order to get straight to sniping. That's the Principle of Charity, and it's basic to intellectual honesty. Why should cynicism get a free pass just because of how it feels? If you had considered that bar before commenting, you couldn't have posted what you did.
I don't at all mean to pick on you personally and I hope I'm not coming across that way. This is a systemic question and I care about its systemic effects on HN. What you posted was no worse than what many people post, and that's the problem.