"One quality that's a really bad indication is a CEO with a strong foreign accent. I'm not sure why. It could be that there are a bunch of subtle things entrepreneurs have to communicate and can't if you have a strong accent. Or, it could be that anyone with half a brain would realize you're going to be more successful if you speak idiomatic English, so they must just be clueless if they haven't gotten rid of their strong accent. I just know it's a strong pattern we've seen."
It makes me worried because I've applied to YC and I'm not a native speaker. My english is less than perfect, and my accent is terrible.
Ofcourse this was in 2009, so I wonder if his views may have changed now. Did YC accept any non-english speaking founder(s) lately? Do you believe speaking idiomatic english is a necessity to run a successful business?
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