YC is a startup, and I’m willing to die on this hill.

If YC stops considering themselves a startup in 50 years, pg will be turning in his grave. It would mean there’s room for a competitor to dethrone YC, just like any other big company.

And startup jobs come with equity. That’s one of the biggest incentives to work for a startup. Otherwise the smart, capable hackers would quietly focus on getting a top job at Google.

All else being equal, there’s no reason to work as hard as you can for $10M when you can get it by coasting for two decades at a big company. And YC staff works hard.

What make YC different from other accelerators and VCs that they have to offer equity (or carry)? In investment firms that is typically reserved for general partners because it makes investments at it's core, unlike a tech startup with tech as a core business