cliffcrosland

From what I understand, Homejoy was one of the fastest growing companies in YC history, and if I'm not mistaken, it closed down in part because it pursued too much international growth too early.

Additionally, it seems that the "macro" scandal at Zenefits may have been a result of taking the "hack-the-system" mindset too far.

In YC content, there is an influential essay emphasizing growth, and the YC application itself asks potential founders about moments when they've hacked a system to their advantage.

Are the YC values of "startup = growth" and "hack-the-system" taken too seriously or too far by founders? Are there healthy ways to soften the values to help founders avoid the pain Homejoy and Zenefits experienced?