Welcome Home, Garry Tan

https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/welcome-home-garry-tan/

by todsacerdoti • 4 years ago

749 249 4 years ago

todd38342• 4 years ago

I didn’t understand the title. Is it common to say welcome home when someone departs a company? I almost thought maybe he passed away and it was a reference to being “in a better place”

garry4• 4 years ago

I spent 5 years as a partner at Y Combinator previously, left to work on Initialized Capital (which is in good hands now with incredible early stage investors Jen Wolf and Brett Gibson), but now will be returning in the new year to work on the next phase of Y Combinator with many of my old friends and colleagues.

todd38342• 4 years ago

Thanks for the clarification. Congrats Gary!

garry4• 4 years ago

Believe it or not, my journey to Y Combinator started similar to how you may experience YC — through being a regular lurker and reader on Hacker News.

I went to Startup School, me and my cofounders applied, we got an interview, and we got in. I was an engineer, designer and PM. I'd built teams and products, but I'd never built a company.

YC gave me a shot, a community, knowhow, and the ability to access capital, talent, and customers.

YC changed my life. I want it to help a lot more people achieve their dreams and goals. It did for me, beyond my wildest dreams.

leetrout• 4 years ago

That is awesome.

Hope you enjoy the ride!

math-dev• 4 years ago

Good luck! May the force be with you

halfmatthalfcat• 4 years ago

What advice can you give to solo founders trying to break into YC, outside of the normal platitudes? Seems like there is an almost impossible bar to meet.

mritchie712• 4 years ago

What's your take on YC batch sizes? YC has gotten criticism for making them too big, but it seems totally natural to me to scale them up. Do you think they are right-sized now?

FerociousTimes2• 4 years ago

I like how this is turning fast into sort of a press conference minus the audio or video signal.

Carlee• 4 years ago

Crazy to see you end up at the top! Excited to have you run the programme for all the newcomers!

jaxr• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry. As an S22 founder and long time follower of your content (and also HN lurker) I am excited that you are back in YC!

HorizonXP• 4 years ago

Garry, massive congratulations. Been watching your career growth for years, and been inspired by your every step. Being able to have you as one of my group partners was a blessed period in my own career that I'm glad to have had.

Hacker News & YC have changed my life too. HN pulled me out of a funk during a Master's thesis that my heart was no longer in, and thrust me into the world of startups. Going through YC did the same, and put me onto a path of success with my own startup.

I'm very excited to see you back at the helm of YC, because I know how many others you'll be able to help. I'm excited for this future.

swayvil• 4 years ago

Me too. I too am inspired by Garry's growth.

nicholasjbs• 4 years ago

Congrats, Garry! Well-deserved. Excited for you and for YC.

con• 4 years ago

Congratulations! Quite the journey since we did YC S08! :D

qaq• 4 years ago

Congrats! YC is lucky to have you!

dzohrob• 4 years ago

congrats garry! huge news!

arjungupta-atx• 4 years ago

Thanks for sharing!

ignoramous3• 4 years ago

Interesting you chose to become a VC given your reservations about growth v. sustainability: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5229805 (:

Either ways, good luck!

(btw, love the production quality of your videos on youtube; and now, YC-- Dalton, Michael et al-- who do have fantastic content, can use a bit of that production magic).

arcticbull3• 4 years ago

Where better to change things than from the inside?

Dimidium-07• 4 years ago

What are the biggest changes you want to do?

tomrod• 4 years ago

I look forward to learning more about your journey. I've recently launched a company and I am finding the YC Startup School content fascinating.

Being from a non-coastal area, my HN engagement has for many years been a lurker and general technology trend interest. I'm pleasantly surprised how well developed YC content is.

wrst-alex• 4 years ago

Just incredible to see you complete the circle here Garry.

I'll be really interested to see the perspective you bring, especially when it comes to the human side of the equation of founding a startup.

I remember for some time you were looking seriously at mental health for teams. Any early thoughts on how you might adjust the current sentiment of hustle culture?

yayitswei• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry! Will never forget how you helped us design our logo during office hours. Took 2 minutes and the result was better than anything we came up with that month.

pauldix• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry! So well deserved. I feel so lucky to have had your help as a group partner when we went through W13 as Errplane (hah, good thing we figured out something to pivot to).

YC changed my life too and I can't imagine it in better or more capable hands.

billclerico• 4 years ago

congrats Garry!! you are a founder's founder and will do great things at YC.

mattmaroon• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry! You're going to do a great job I am sure.

jeremymims• 4 years ago

Congratulations, Garry! YC couldn't have picked a better leader.

bradgessler• 4 years ago

Congrats! Who knew in ‘08 that you’d be running the joint one day?

purple_ferret2• 4 years ago

Did you cash out of COINBASE yet?

300k to 2.4 billion WOW

tylermenezes• 4 years ago

I have nothing but positive memories from all the times we met in S12. Your genuine excitement for the cool products everyone was building was refreshing in a time when all my conversations were about customer development and building an org. (Not that we didn't also talk about that, of course, but you were always the biggest reminder WHY we were here.)

I really think there's no one better for this role, it makes me really excited about YC again! Congrats!

soheil• 4 years ago

I’ve been following your YT videos and glad you’re back at YC. You’re a total inspiration.

corywatilo• 4 years ago

You gave me my start in 2009 when you let me build Posterous themes. That experience introduced me into the world of startups, pushed me to become better at code, helped me get my start in design, and ultimately changed my life forever.

I can't thank you enough for giving a nobody like me a shot, and I can't wait to passively watch as you continue to do this for countless others!

rmason• 4 years ago

Congratulations! While I am going to greatly miss the videos you did on YouTube the truth is you are so right for the job. Two words of advice for you - be bold.

mehuln• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry! This is wonderful news. Garry was extremely generous and helpful to us during our YC days. Cannot thank him enough for all his help. This is awesome for YC!

speby• 4 years ago

This is pretty fabulous news, Garry. You've been an inspiration, from meeting you back in the Posterous days during Summer '08 and seeing your contributions and achievements along the way since then. Bravo!

hailmac• 4 years ago

Super impressed by this comment, really shows a lot of character and humility from GT. Will be following the next chapter with interest.

oluomike1• 4 years ago

Hearty congratulations Garry, Start-up school was an awesome experience with you. Cheers!

gaganbiyani• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry - pretty amazing story!

fitzrocks• 4 years ago

I'm very, very excited for this!

cpcat• 4 years ago

Congrats. I was binge-watching on Youtube and came across one of your videos a few days ago which inspired me to start thinking of doing something with my 10 year experience, specially when you talked about there being no shortage of money :) No other investor has ever reached me via Youtube let alone inspire. Great move by YC.

gmays2• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry, couldn't think of anyone better. Looking forward to where you take YC!

eyphka• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry! I'm one of those lurkers, and was due to your influence that I became a founder and got into YC.

badrabbit• 4 years ago

How was Palantir and Mr. Thiel's leadership?

TheEzEzz• 4 years ago

Huge news and big congrats! You've been an awesome inspiration. I'm really looking forward to where you take YC.

sgpl• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry! You're definitely an inspiration!

Anoushk2• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry! Going to apply for the winter batch, hope to meet you there ;)

AlchemistCamp• 4 years ago

Congrats, Garry! I'm honored to have met you in a YC interview and I'm a fan of what you've done in recent years in SF and on YT.

chidog12• 4 years ago

Garry, I only have one ask (maybe two)!... Force them all to keep making those YC Office Hour videos lol! Even better, whoever your editing team is for your channel... add them to the team as well.

All the best!

gitfan864• 4 years ago

Congrats! What is going to happen of the next few years with AI is going to be mind blowing. The more people you can stear away from crypto and towards democratizing AI, the better, IMO.

ignoramous3• 4 years ago

Or worse, Web3 ends up intertwining AI/AGI with it.

EddySchauHai2• 4 years ago

You say to the guy who wrote the first seed check of Coinbase

gitfan864• 4 years ago

Crypto has run it's course, I don't think Gary did anything wrong by helping the crypto experiment happen. But YC is about the future, not the past.

bluelightning2k3• 4 years ago

As a crypto sceptic I'd still love to have been the person who wrote that check

rvz2• 4 years ago

What is going to happen of the next few years with AI is going to be mind blowing.

Or where it is headed it more dystopia.

AI has already been democratized to death by the same gate keepers creating dystopian deep fakes and training on tons of your data on lots of data centers to incinerate and burn up the planet with zero efficient alternatives.

The AI game has run its course, with nothing left other than the same Tech giants and one hypocritical Open 'faux' AI company.

gitfan864• 4 years ago

Crypto bag holder I presume?

richarlidad• 4 years ago

Welcome back, Garry!

Sytex• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry!

nik736• 4 years ago

This is good news. Congrats!

milkers• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry, I am happy to see you with that title and I am very curious about what is ahead of the YC following your lead. Best wishes!

cinntaile• 4 years ago

Your profile is outdated now! ;)

spacesarebetter• 4 years ago

Are you going to continue with your youtube channel? I hope you do, learned so many things from that channel

garry4• 4 years ago

YES! I absolutely will! youtube.com/garrytan

swyx3• 4 years ago

love how you plug the URL like a regular up and coming person would. congrats garry!

cheerioty• 4 years ago

Wow, love it, go Garry!

talhof8• 4 years ago

Wow, exciting news!

Congrats Garry. Feels like a John Frusciante comeback.

Really hoping to be part of the W23 batch.

Rauchg• 4 years ago

Congrats! Exciting news for YC

caslon2• 4 years ago

Now that there's been some regime change, and now that it's been a while, can we finally get a report on why YC killed YCR, or at least (and most importantly) HARC & VPRI (which had become dependent on YCR funding)? And, in these times of VC prosperity, could there be another attempt at it, this time with longer-term dedications than "Whenever we get bored of the PR from funding computational research or there's a momentary lapse in market conditions?"

Long-term computing research is one of the best ways to ensure YCombinator's continued growth and avoid dominance from companies that are increasingly avoiding the publication of their own research (and, divorced from either of those two things, it would do a substantial amount of good, which is more important to some people but less an immediately-swaying argument to capital); it seems absurd how it was sort of thrown to the wayside on what seemed to be a whim (judging by when VPRI shuttered and the other two stopped seeing activity, possibly by the 2017 crypto crash causing YC to momentarily get more conservative in its funding).

cheeko1234• 4 years ago

Please revive Posterous!

panicpanicpanic• 4 years ago

He did in the form of Posthaven [1] but I'd say please keep it updated. The last post on the Posthaven blog is five years old.[2]

[1] https://posthaven.com/ [2] https://blog.posthaven.com/read-about-how-fly-has-helped-wit...

wahnfrieden8• 4 years ago

Incredible, a public + private UGC hosting service with no service terms or code of conduct (that I could find, even in onboarding). That's so brave lol

swyx3• 4 years ago

could you elaborate what Posterous did well, for those of us who never saw it?

graderjs2• 4 years ago

I liked the ability to cross post to Twitter, Facebook, Plurk etc. It was like the one place blog control panel, make a post there and spread it out.

syrusakbary• 4 years ago

I'm incredibly happy with this move.

I got to chat with Initialized (Garry was one of the co-founders) a while ago and I must mention that I was greatly impressed by Garry down-to-earth questions, knowledge, kindness and humility. I've been following him since on his Youtube channel... it's a gold mine for any entrepreneur out there.

Excited for what lies ahead for YC.

[1] https://youtube.com/garrytan

NCC1701DEngage• 4 years ago

I actually found his channel with the alternative YouTube recommendations database I'm working on. He was one of the top links off the list for Y Combinator's channel.

The list for his channel includes some likely suspects like TechCrunch, Y Combinator, and a16z but also some smaller names doing business advice like Section4 and David Perell:

https://channelgalaxy.com/id%3DUCIBgYfDjtWlbJhg--Z4sOgQ/

breck• 4 years ago

I've used a lot of great products from Garry over the years.

My favorite is the software he built that YC alums get to use.

From 2008-2012 we had an email list.

Garry wrote a Rails site (IIRC) in 2012 and that was a clear inflection point for YC alums. Total game changer for many of us and has provided lots of value over the years. I think it was also the starting point for online SUS.

Congrats Garry/YC!

maram2• 4 years ago

“Garry Tan is a moral canary in a coal mine. When people hate on Garry Tan, they out themselves as either evil or stupid, because in fact Garry is as close to a 100% good guy as you get”. —Paul Graham https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1460931338131890180 ————

Congratulations Garry! Your blogs were my inspirations when I was running my startup. I always remember this line:

“The ideal startup team involves really two major roles — builder, and hustler. I used to say it took three roles (designer, engineer, hustler).....In reality, I think designer / engineer can be abstracted to builder”.

stakkur2• 4 years ago

I have no strong opinion of Tan, but calling a person who happily worked for (and profited from) Palantir a 'moral canary in a coal mine' seems a bit of a stretch.

LewisVerstappen• 4 years ago

Tan worked at Palantir prior to 2007, so if you’re blaming him for Palantir’s work with ICE then…

they out themselves as either evil or stupid

purple_ferret2• 4 years ago

Yeah but that was before he had the type of money to buy the moral high ground

preommr2• 4 years ago

The extreme left in SF politics (which in SF = the Establishment).

???

kind off topic, but I am curious what other people in SF think about this statement. I don't live there, but I find it surprising and dubious that the extreme anything is also "the establishment", not saying it's not possible but seems unlikely to me.

hackernewds2• 4 years ago

? where do you get this?

vxNsr• 4 years ago

My guess is: the administration controlling North Korea would be considered by many to be extreme (left, right, you pick) but in North Korea they are the establishment.

So too in SF, outside of cali they would be considered extreme (left, right, you pick) but in SF they are the establishment.

Not passing judgment on whether that’s right or wrong just saying that’s what that line could mean.

wpietri2• 4 years ago

20 years in SF, and I can promise you that the extreme left is not the establishment here. As an example, we had a relatively progressive prosecutor who tried occasionally to hold cops to account. After an acrimonious campaign, he was just recalled with extensive support from a chunk of the establishment. His replacement, selected by the mayor, volunteered as an active proponent in the recall. Except that it came out later that she received $100k in "consulting" fees from a billionaire via a sister organization to the recall campaign: https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/reports-sf-da-brooke-jen...

San Francisco gets a lot of press as being radical, but the government strikes me as pretty middle-of-the-road and wealth-focused. i can't think of a policy here that would be out of place in any other sensibly run city in the US. And we're definitely to the right of places like Copenhagen and Amsterdam. And that goes back a long way; CA's current governor was a centrist mayor here back in the day.

systemvoltage6• 4 years ago

Being a good guy probably ranks the least IMO for leading VC. You need to be extremely shrewd and calculative, have a great bullshit detector, need to have solid intuition based on scant data, good general knowledge, well versed in various industries and areas of study, pragmatic and brutally honest. I am probably missing a few more. Speaking generally, nothing against Garry.

devwastaken• 4 years ago

Do both. There's nothing preventing you from looking at the numbers, the pitch, and saying "no." In terms of being "good". You can be honest and kind the same as how one can be honest and mean.

tosh• 4 years ago

Great person/institution-fit!

hellomyguys5• 4 years ago

I guess everyone Garry has blocked on Twitter will not be applying to YC any time soon :)

smcl10• 4 years ago

What's the story here, did this happen a lot or something?

password4321• 4 years ago

Many who get into it start blocking lists they get from their bubble.

hellomyguys5• 4 years ago

From my understanding he autoblocks anyone who likes a tweet that pushes back on his political takes.

garry4• 4 years ago

Twitter has been a tough one - I got involved in local politics which has been a challenge. Large accounts typically do have to block a lot to make it usable, and in particular I've had problems with folks doxxing my former home address (I had to sell that house and move), and making threats of violence against me.

I'm sorry if I got it wrong, and I am happy to unblock if I did get it wrong.

908087• 4 years ago

The fact that you've got countless people who have never heard of you blocked, would seem to indicate that you have in fact got it wrong.

mempko• 4 years ago

I'm blocked by you and have no idea why! Same name on twitter.

sandofsky• 4 years ago

I'm seeing many people say you've blocked them without ever having interacted with you. Many have jumped to the conclusion that you simply block people who disagree with your politics. I don't tweet about SF politics, but after I tweeted this, you replied tell me it's funny but wrong, and then blocked me: https://twitter.com/sandofsky/status/1491167231467999236

Which is fine. I block plenty of people. I also mute people, because a block carries a message. And if I found myself in role that gets considerable scrutiny, I'd probably reevaluate my entire approach to social media.

glenda• 4 years ago

The thing is you’ve also been quite aggressive toward other people on twitter. Making yourself out to be a victim is definitely en vogue.

smcl10• 4 years ago

Hey garry it seems you blocked me on twitter today! I didn't say anything bad, I'm really confused. I guess it's a mistake - see https://twitter.com/sracka_omacka

hemantv• 4 years ago

I have been blocked in your Twitter. We just had differences of opinion on certain things. I guess you might have under lot of stress at that time so I understand.

12_throw_away3• 4 years ago

Besides the "block anyone remotely progressive" approach to social media (including industry folks like Anil Dash [1]) - he seems extremely uncivil and rude [2]. And Sam Altman has explicitly referenced his politics as a reason for this decision [3].

This gives me the impression that there's a specific political agenda being advanced at YC ...

[1] https://twitter.com/anildash/status/1564285359755874304?s=20...

[2] https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH6Y9DCUYAEkV1p?format=png&name=...

[3] https://twitter.com/sama/status/1564256798323851265

edit: deleted a not very clear link about certain politically charged individuals.

12_throw_away3• 4 years ago

So, why the downvotes? We're not allowed to talk about this?

1123581321• 4 years ago

Anil can be combative on Twitter. I have respect for him and positive interactions under my real name, but I’m not surprised he would have gotten into a heated discussion at some point with Garry.

wahnfrieden8• 4 years ago

so YC is celebrating having political influence that is explicitly pro-cop, hard on crime via punishment, etc., that's lovely

pain_perdu• 4 years ago

I am blocked by Garry despite having zero interactions with him on Twitter (nor ever tweeting anything controversial). I see numerous reports of other people stating the same both in this thread and on twitter: https://imgur.com/a/MOPDVSl

Anoushk2• 4 years ago

lol

willmw101• 4 years ago

Didn't expect most of this thread to be people whining about being blocked on twitter. What the hell has happened to hacker news?

threefiftyone96• 4 years ago

Congratulations, Garry! Huge fan of your work, especially the high-value YouTube material.

One question: what does this mean for Initialized Capital?

threeseed• 4 years ago

Jason Calcanis commented about this on his recent Youtube video which was strangely enough deleted.

That it could be a massive conflict of interest situation where Garry could funnel the best YC startups into Initialized before demo-day.

balentio• 4 years ago

While I acknowledge business as a driving force behind tech, I think if you want to "change the world" all you really have to do is provide solid financial support to open source tech since that is where most of the "For profit" inspiration is coming from anyway.

brianliou91• 4 years ago

When I was in YC Garry showed me how to be a founder. After YC Garry showed me how to be a more compassionate human to myself and others. I'd recommend everyone check out the inner work Garry has also achieved beyond his external achievements.

Congrats Garry!

jtemplestein• 4 years ago

What a great appointment!

I've had one brief interaction with Gary a long time ago, and he's been a role model ever since

I had a difference in opinion with my cofounder and wanted to leave the startup we'd founded, even if it meant leaving the YC program (which I adored), and would likely lose my visa to stay in the US. Seeing how distressed I was, Gary took me aside somehow simultaneously made me feel heard, but also told me that it's up to me to come back stronger from this moment.

It made all the difference to me, and I've thought back to that moment many times in the years to come.

extent-connifer• 4 years ago

(Throwaway because it’s a small world)

This is disappointing.

YC needs a fresh perspective. Recycling older members is not a positive sign for continued innovation. I wouldn’t point to “HODL diamond hands” crypto hype (suddenly disappeared..) and personal brand-building content creation as the type of leadership YC needs at this stage.

Specifically in this, someone who has been running a large VC fund for the past half-decade with considerable inside deal access through YC. The conflicts of interest are sizable, and we can’t really pretend that they won’t compound now that Garry’s at the head of YC.

Lastly, to balance flood of positive reviews, there have been consistent (if quiet, again, small world) reports of pettiness and using power/influence against personal grudges. I have not worked with Garry directly, founder friends have and back channels are..not same as the public comments here. Everyone has weaknesses. This isn’t a good one for the position.

ignoramous3• 4 years ago

YC needs a fresh perspective. Recycling older members is not a positive sign for continued innovation.

That they may need [0], but I wouldn't be as dismissive about their current crop of partners either, given their ridiculous and sustained success.

Lastly, to balance flood of positive reviews, there have been consistent (if quiet, again, small world) reports of pettiness and using power/influence against personal grudges.

I wouldn't know for sure, but there's two sides to every coin: With great power comes great responsibility" / "With great power comes the absolute certainity that you will turn into a right c*"

[0] In the lieu of other firms doing things differently, including ex-YC Daniel Gross' Pioneer.App, BeOnDeck, Enterpreneur First, Sequoia Arc, a16z Start, and others.

goldenchrome• 4 years ago

That’s pretty funny. A sizable chunk of leaders I’ve encountered left a wake of discontent behind them. And it’s always in the form of pettiness and grudges. Some people just have weak morals. I imagine that’s why they chase power for so long—to prove that they don’t.

baxtr• 4 years ago

(Throwaway because it’s a small world)

So you don’t think they can check your email? Sincere question.

dang6• 4 years ago

We don't require an email

senttoschool7• 4 years ago

I wouldn’t point to “HODL diamond hands” crypto hype (suddenly disappeared..)

This is my biggest worry. I'd have preferred a non-crypto-junkie.

This is Gary saying that ETH will go up to $10k soon: https://twitter.com/garrytan/status/1402648829732614146

It went to $1k instead.

At times, following Gary on Twitter felt like following a dumb crypto bro.

Everyone looks like a genius during a bull market and 0% interest rate environment.

senttoschool7• 4 years ago

Also, if you're reading this Gary, just know that it's ok to say you won by investing in Coinbase early but let's not act like Coinbase isn't powered by scams.

You don't have to keep shilling crypto just because you invested in Coinbase early. You can take the win and not be a crypto bro.

You can shill crypto if our lives are improved by it and that if crypto disappeared one day, our lives would be worse. But not now. It kills your reputation hurts people. Right now, I see you as a Matt Damon who knows how to code.

PS. I'm forever grateful for you pushing Boudin out in SF.

SamReidHughes• 4 years ago

This is Gary saying that ETH will go up to $10k soon:

Well actually,

1. He didn't say it will go up to $10k "soon." That video is talking about long-term performance.

2. ETH is down just ~~27%~~ 41% since that video, and has moved farther up than down.

3. It's only been a year since the video, which is talking about The Merge as one of the factors behind this belief, and The Merge hasn't happened yet.

4. Quote from the video: "It's not really gonna be that smooth a ride to $10000."

anotherfounder2• 4 years ago

I didn't realize Garry was so crypto-y. Now as the President and CEO of YC where everyone constantly says "Make something people want", "Solve a real problem", I'm curious for him to chime in to the 'What's a real use-case for crypto?' debate.

Apocryphon2• 4 years ago

Gotta challenge a16z muscling into that space.

senttoschool7• 4 years ago

I didn't realize Garry was so crypto-y. Now as the President and CEO of YC where everyone constantly says "Make something people want", "Solve a real problem", I'm curious for him to chime in to the 'What's a real use-case for crypto?' debate.

That's why I think YC under Garry will pivot to something like: "Catch the next big thing" even if the next big thing is a scam and an environmental disaster.

I look forward to YC becoming full-time crypto shills and pump and dump scams.

sneak4• 4 years ago

After earning a degree in computer engineering from Stanford, Garry was an engineer at Palantir and then created one of the earliest and best-designed blogging platforms, Posterous.

This is a reminder that Palantir is the firm that sells data mining software to US police and military organizations that then use it to violate human rights.

It should be a black mark on anyone’s record.

Aeolun2• 4 years ago

I don’t think it’s necessarily his, or Palantirs’ fault that the US government is evil.

wahnfrieden8• 4 years ago

All states are evil

deepspace2• 4 years ago

It should be a black mark on anyone’s record.

Exactly. I have always maintained that a small but significant way to put pressure on 'evil' companies, like Palantir, is to blacklist any employees who have them on their resume, making it difficult for them to attract talent. Unfortunately, I have found that very people share that view, and I am hard-pressed to figure out why.

novok• 4 years ago

You don't create an ability to have redemption, forgiveness, rehabilitation, or regret. The first step to get someone to change their mind is to remove the dependency of them having an income on said philosophy, and one of the best ways to do that is to give them a chance to not work there anymore and move past it. By forcing them into an association ghetto, you create stronger supporters for the group you dislike, because they have no other options left.

Also everyone's personal set of shit companies doesn't overlap, so it's very easy for no one to get hired fairly quickly, and sometimes people chose the unpopular place out of necessity vs. choice at the time.

A large amount of employees people want to hire have probably worked at a company that people didn't like at one time or another. It's pretty easy to think of a set of nerds who don't like that you've worked at any one of google, microsoft, apple, amazon, facebook, netflix, robinhood, stripe, hospital system, any bank/finance/fintech, government, etc. Pretty much the only companies left are the ones that are not relevant enough to do anything to the world that would lead to someone being a hater in the first place.

sneak4• 4 years ago

I believe that it is because most people are not actually actively anti-war or pro-human-rights. The median person can be made to endorse and support invasion and torture if they are fed the right media.

Most people are apathetic, and having the military-industrial complex in your work history simply doesn’t register to many.

It’s not that they endorse evil; it’s just that they don’t care.

colesantiago• 4 years ago

I agree, but we should also go further:

Employees at Meta{Facebook, Instagram, Oculus, etc}, Twitter, Google, Palantir and Uber are all complicit in building systems that amplify surveillance capitalism and this goes for any other company engaging in this space.

It should be a big black mark on anyone’s record working at those companies.

sneak4• 4 years ago

AFAIK nobody ever got murdered by a CIA drone after using Uber.

The same cannot be said of Instagram or Gmail or iCloud (you forgot Apple on your list).

fourstar• 4 years ago

Congrats, Garry. You told me when I interviewed to have a co-founder. I'm happy to report I still can't find a co-founder but you were right.

justinzollars• 4 years ago

Garry is an awesome individual. Not only a mentor in tech, but a community advocate in San Francisco! I'm so happy about this news!

throwaway20222• 4 years ago

Congrats! Tons of respect.

What is happening to your current VC fund? I may have missed it, but who do you hand the reins to?

cedricd• 4 years ago

Jen Wolf and Brett Gibson

https://blog.initialized.com/2022/08/jen-wolf-and-brett-gibs...

bobbygoodlatte• 4 years ago

This makes me so optimistic for the future of YC. Congrats Garry!

anotherfounder2• 4 years ago

Congrats, Garry! Seems appropriate to start to unblock founders on Twitter?

thenerdhead• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry! Huge fan of your work and demeanor.

exhaze• 4 years ago

I think Garry changed my life in 2013 and might be reason why an awkward inarticulate engineer got into YC. He believed in my me and my cofounder.

To me, Garry is one of the people that embodies the spirit of YC. See some kind of potential in early founders (my cofounder called this "a twinkle in his eye"). Believe in them. Give them a shot.

Being a founder is SO lonely. Especially when few believe in what you're doing.

So happy that Garry's back.

podviaznikov• 4 years ago

Garry is incredible. I've met him 10 years ago during YC. He helped company I worked for a lot. Probably one of the most available people from the whole YC - at least it seemed that way to me.

Also, I did attend Garry's 30th birthday party. Great memory how casual and down to Earth everything was.

Good luck with new/old adventure.

felixchan• 4 years ago

Garry Tan has been the most influential figure that I have ever had a chance to come across. He appeared right at my critical moments of life and death, at the turning points of the tide. I am certain to say that without Garry and his helping hand, my life would not be what it is today. I consider myself very lucky to have met him.

Congratulations, Garry!

cdelsolar• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry!!

TimCTRL2• 4 years ago

On the light end here, Aproova Mehta once said; "I learn't two important lessons, First and foremost, Gary Tan loves his beers..haha"

We probably wouldn't have instacart where it is if it weren't for Gary. Thanks Gary.

https://youtu.be/wkmR7TYUt_c?t=653

replwoacause• 4 years ago

I could be wrong but I think he spells his name Garry, not Gary.

TimCTRL2• 4 years ago

Thank you. Had missed that

bluelightning2k3• 4 years ago

I've always liked Garry.

bluelightning2k3• 4 years ago

Small thing, but I asked Garry in the comments of his YC videos what his production setup was. He took the time to answer and I remember & appreciate that.

cammikebrown• 4 years ago

I know Garry as “the fellow who I’ve never interacted with who has me blocked on Twitter”. Seems I’m not alone!

Rafuino• 4 years ago

I almost feel bad he hasn't blocked me on Twitter

gnicholas• 4 years ago

Garry took the time to meet with me almost a decade ago, when my startup was just a side project and I was still a full-time corporate lawyer. I wish I'd been more ready to take his excellent advice, which I still remember!

I also remember being surprised that he drove a humble old car, perhaps a late-90s Camry? Respect.

aglazer• 4 years ago

Congratulations Garry and thank you Geoff!

Very excited to see the next chapter of growth at YC!

jmtame• 4 years ago

Exciting news and big congrats to you Garry!

fblp• 4 years ago

This is an impressively casual press release!

gmays2• 4 years ago

Any thoughts on a program for open source startups like there are for nonprofits and hardware?

grepsci• 4 years ago

Congrats Garry! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and views through content you put out. Thank you for also standing up for what you believe in and I share strongly in that sentiment.

As a HN lurker and YC fan, it's very exciting to see this. Bless up!

noisy_boy• 4 years ago

ITT #blockedbygarry

CarbonCycles• 4 years ago

Congrats!

Welcome Home, Garry Tan

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