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0 pointsdanielharan17y ago0 comments

Never applied, although encouraged others to do so.

If people working insanely long hours is actually mythology, that actually hurts YC: sane people will avoid applying in the first place.

If the long hours is really true, then people aren't being productive, also hurting YC.

Either way, call me a troll but this is something YC should be making clear.

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6 comments · 2 top-level

mattmaroon17y ago· 4 in thread

YC doesn't dictate how many hours you work. They aren't project managers or pointy haired bosses. They're investors.

Your biggest mistake is taking the blog entry of one startup out of 100 or so that they've funded and assuming that what they do is typical and/or directed by YC.

danielharanOP17y ago

I wish it were selection bias. Unfortunately, every time I hear about a YC company they seem to brag about the hours they work.

Are there numbers about this? A survey of average hours worked in YC startups (ideally separating code / biz time) would be helpful to give people a realistic idea of what they're signing up for when they apply.

mattmaroon17y ago

No it wouldn't, because again, YC doesn't dictate the hours. You're signing up for whatever you want to sign up for. It's not as if you punch a time card and PG looks at them.

People work so hard because they want to do well on demo day. Other than that one day, I don't know of any way to pitch to all of the top investors in the industry at once. You'd be a fool to not try to maximize your productivity with that in mind.

Xichekolas17y ago

If you want to work a guaranteed maximum of eight hours a day, then America has just the thing for you... I hope you like cubicles.

icey17y ago

Now I'm positive you're trolling. Kudos to you for a troll well executed.

icey17y ago

This isn't a YC thing. This is a startup thing. Startups work a lot of hours, it's the nature of the beast. By being as accusatory as you've been, you've highlighted your inexperience with startups in general.

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