What's the purpose of your third line?

Obviously they didn't even click the link at all, but they had a legitimate question to ask the community in hopes of learning more about why the content is good. Your first two lines directly answer their questions, but the third one just seems, well, immature?

It's very natural to feel a bit defensive in response to criticism of this nature, which is actually an ad hominem. I don't know that many people would have done better. I think we have to remember that even larger-than-life characters like sama are also humans who feel emotions.

I honestly think it's a valid comment. If I see something from someone I don't think has anything to teach me (though I try to be charitable in that determination), I just don't read it.

The parent comment asked a very valid question and I believe your third line was entirely un-necessary. I think you took it a little too personally and ironically if anyone else would have made such a comment, it would be flagged or downvoted into oblivion.

Look at it this way: if you're a musician and you're looking up to people for inspiration or advice to make great, interesting music - do you look to Kanye West or do you look to someone who failed to achieve success as a musician but then went on to become a record company executive? You look to Kanye West.

(to continue the analogy) So when a group of musicians are suddenly looking to the record company exec, it raises an interesting question: why?

It's not meant to be an attack on your character or your achievements...it's just an interesting question. Or at least, that's the way I interpreted it.

In Indian film industry a famous director called Subhash Ghai usually make eccentric movie with fantastic songs. Songs are usually made by music director and their selection as per the movie and special recommendations comes from movie director only. I think he should be given credit for better ears and selection capacity as I have seen same music directors failing horribly on other movies. So even if Subhash Ghai can not make good music by himself, aspiring music composer will always goes to him for recommendations.

I'm trying to be an objective observer here.

My text classification software marked the third line as the most authentic, most truthful line.

Huh.

I think the parent raised a good (and fair) question and this is a good (and honest) answer. YC has done fantastically well under your leadership.

I find you learn the most from mistakes, either your own or from others.

> either your own or from others.

If people honestly learned from the mistakes of others - I assert there'd be an awful lot fewer mistakes.

and parenting would be so much easier.

It's painful knowing they won't learn something until they do the same stupid thing themselves.

There's a huge perverse incentive lurking in there.

@Sama – Your previous failure(s?) is probably (part of) what makes you hungry. If you were already some super-rich, uber successful dude, then why commit yourself so fully to something so hard and so new? You're not some fat happy rich dude like most VCs. You've got something to prove, and that drives you. To me, your past failure is not a liability, but an asset. YC is your chance to make a mark on the world.

(I don't know if this is how you actually feel deep inside, but if it is, I wish you spoke of it so.)

YC's leading metric is the success of its investments, without that foundation then all other decisions will be off. Starting off on the right foot is more important IMHO than being fantastic at running a company.

> If you disagree, no one is making you watch this. You're free to hit the back button.

Why would somebody want to only consume media they agree with?

"Disagree" here is not about disagreeing with the content of the linked media, but whether you consider sama adequately credentialed or experienced to speak on the topic.