It operates without money. Every company accepted into YC contributes a family-sized container of maple syrup which is poured into a tank in which dang floats, absorbing nutrients, moderating and maintaining the site.

Ahhhh... canadian nourishment, eh'guyz!

oh god the visual.

The red and white Cherenkov glow of canadons in maple syrup is quite beautiful.

Ah .. folding space. The spice must flow.

It doesn't.

Never has.

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Maybe when the website itself doesn't actually have to make money, or even try, that could be one of the things that make it more worthwhile to visit.

but you have to stand on your own two feet somehow!

It makes money for YC, by publicising YC, and allowing YC-funded startups to post job ads that don’t follow the same rules as other posts.

Exactly what the FAQ says:

Y Combinator owns and funds HN. The HN team is editorially independent.

HN gives three features to YC: job ads (see above) and startup launches get placed on the front page, and YC founder names are displayed to other YC alumni in orange.

It doesn’t need to make money.

It’s a marketing campaign that benefits (and is run by) Y Combinator.