Howdy Bit,

"Yes, I mean "build your thing." This is NOT the "YC model". The YC model is "build a demo so you can get VC money"."

Where did you get that idea? Paul actively discourages YC companies to seek VC money, and is very nearly hostile to the groups who don't launch product by the end of the program.

"You're still assuming that the purpose of your company is to demo your way into a job (eg: get "big" funding.)"

Nope, you haven't bothered to look at what me and my company (a YC funded company) are doing. We've launched. We sell products to real customers for real money. We support them like a mofo. We add features and make it easier to use every week. Then we lather-rinse-repeat. We're building a serious business, and YC has been very encouraging about it.

You've got the wrong end of the stick on everything YC is doing, as far as I can tell.

"Sorry, I didn't mean network with your peers (if your peers are under 25)."

Did you miss where I said I'm old. I'm 32, and this is my second company. I mean exactly what I said.

"but your coming off like Mark Zuckerberg... there are great bright valuable people in business."

Now you're just talking crazy. I've frequently made fun of Zuckerberg here on News.YC. Partly because I'm old. I've made no suggestion that you should only talk to young people. I am suggesting that hanging out with other smart people starting companies is the smartest thing you can do.

I stand by everything I said about the YC events that were open to all comers. I'm not saying you can't gain anything from talking to business-oriented folks...I'm just saying I don't find any value in meeting with "business idiots" who want me to implement their dumbass ideas for them in exchange for 5% of their company.

Business idiots are not the same as business folks who are useful to talk to. YC brings it on the latter, and skips the former entirely.

"Nothing wrong with hanging out with other 25 year olds, but that's not the point."

Again, I'm 32. My co-founder is 33. I'm cantankerous, and don't like kids. If there were any in the WFP, I managed to avoid noticing. The YC companies I've met are serious folks.

"And you will NOT find them at a YC infest.... because these are people who are running successful companies."

Oh, right. I met Joe Kraus...umm, at YC. Mark Fletcher...hmm, that was at YC, too. Evan Williams...argh, also at YC. Greg McAdoo...holy crap, YC. Ron Conway...I'll be damned, at YC.

"The more people associated with the program act like stepford hackers the more you're going to see "trolling" ...and the less time I'll spend here... whenever I've expressed something not %100 in line with the PG ideology, the responses have been vehemenant and identical... not counter arguments, but repetition of the ideology."

I don't know anything about that, and it doesn't matter to me whether you stick around. ;-)

Where'd you get the the idea that Paul encourages any of the things you suggest? Certainly not in his essays...they're anti-VC, and always focus on building something people want. Early exits are a part of the strategy for a lot of YC companies, that's true, but I don't see where there's anything wrong with that. It's also clear to me that YC doesn't demand early exits (we are not an early exit company, and have never presented ourselves as one).