Sometimes you have to be willing to risk your personal reputation to stand up for what you believe in.
Yes all day every day I do things for YC companies I'm not close to, but our biggest exit ever for sure gets extra attention. In any case, I think you'd be surprised to see my calendar. We paradoxically spend the most of our time on the least successful companies, and trust that doing so will help us get to fund the next Airbnb.
I do try to always disclose conflicts. And it's definitely true that areas like nuclear energy that I'm personally passionate about and believe I can contribute to will get extra attention from me.
I can personally attest that Sam helps out all the companies I've seen that ask, whether or not it helps him in any way. That sort of person is rare in the ecosystem and should be celebrated, not questioned like this. We're attacking him for being honest and giving full disclosure? Really?
The obvious parallel one could draw here is Ron Conway -- these folks help startups because they can, not because they're profiteering. The suggestion is almost offensive given what Sam has done here, which I don't think most people would have had the guts to do. I doubt any legal counsel would have suggested he post this, anyway.
Few folks put in more time, energy, and effort than Sam does to help startup founders, and I think that's partially how he's built up such a world-class reputation.
Sam is making a bold move here with this blog post, given the case. We should be celebrating him doing the right thing here. A lot of folks wouldn't want to publicly touch a topic like this given the legal case.
Any startup would be lucky to have his help, and he's probably the most gracious and helpful person in the startup ecosystem you'll be lucky enough to meet. The fact he's been an investor in the past is, I suspect, more a byproduct of the fact he meets with so many startups as he does. If you spent all day meeting with hedge fund managers, for instance, you'd likely end up being an LP or advisor for at least a couple of them. That doesn't affect the quality of your hedge fund decisions or advice.
Sam has helped me when he had no vested interest in doing so, and I'll always be grateful for that.
In interviews and watching YC develop, i've admired how measured and thoughtful you have been in contrast to my reactive style. The judgement has always been excellent in hindsight.
This is obviously emotional, professional and personal for you and I think that limited your objectivity. It isn't that this needed to be objective, but that your role is as an enabler. In my opinion this should have been written by the founder, and your post should be a comment or set of pull qoutes attached to the article or referenced by Cruise.
It is a worthy cause (or seems so) but at least sharing the post or contributing to a founders post allows the perception & impetus to be on the company, with your direct support.
That said, the message and what you've conveyed seems correct, just not up to your usual standards.
Yes all day every day I do things for YC companies I'm not close to, but our biggest exit ever for sure gets extra attention. In any case, I think you'd be surprised to see my calendar. We paradoxically spend the most of our time on the least successful companies, and trust that doing so will help us get to fund the next Airbnb.
I do try to always disclose conflicts. And it's definitely true that areas like nuclear energy that I'm personally passionate about and believe I can contribute to will get extra attention from me.