Crash Dev - Latest Comments in Sincere Apologies to Paul Graham and the Y Combinator Team

Re: Sincere Apologies to Paul Graham and the Y Combinator Team

ffxi gil — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 04:35:44 -0000

You're doing a good thing. I believe it was the exact wording on most questions, including Paul Graham's parenthetical notes, and even the same word limit and question order.

Re: Sincere Apologies to Paul Graham and the Y Combinator Team

informationsuccubus — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:44:44 -0000

It was a little more than "the". It was the exact wording on most questions, including Paul Graham's parenthetical notes, and even the same word limit and question order.

The right way to go about it would have been to ask Y Combinator for permission to use the same application to make it easy for applicants and then advertise that fact. Then people would have said what a fabulous labor-saving idea that was, drinks all around!

Re: Sincere Apologies to Paul Graham and the Y Combinator Team

dataangel — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:40:44 -0000

I don't think you made a mistake. Their questionnaire was good, but had no artistic value, wasn't that non-obvious, and itself probably unwittingly borrowed language from job applications YC's founders had to fill out throughout their lives. To make a fuss out of this is just irritable. Complaining that this somehow constitutes borrowing without permission opens the door for complaining that you both used "the."

Re: Sincere Apologies to Paul Graham and the Y Combinator Team

gmagana — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:50:30 -0000

Way to go. You may have a made a mistake, but the way you owned up to it puts you in the top 0.1% of professionalism. Way to go! There should be more people like you in the world.

Re: Sincere Apologies to Paul Graham and the Y Combinator Team

jdavid.net — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:51:48 -0000

having the questions the same, would have meant that YC'ers could have just resubmitted their apps to your co-op. i was thinking about it.

Re: Sincere Apologies to Paul Graham and the Y Combinator Team

Gabe — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:09:14 -0000

I'm agnostic on this particular instance of borrowing... I guess it would only be a real issue if it caused people to confuse your program with theirs. It does raise an issue on the overall issue of borrowing website elements - including both design and language. What's fair game and what's not?

TOS?
Pagination style?
Navigation menu?

Clearly, these aren't legal issues - given the number of Digg and other clones but more a matter of good web citizenship. Would be helpful to have a code of ethics/etiquette like this since there are so many grey areas.

Re: Sincere Apologies to Paul Graham and the Y Combinator Team

Fred — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:12:28 -0000

Chris,

It's not a mistake and you don't owe anyone an apology. You're doing a good thing.

Re: Sincere Apologies to Paul Graham and the Y Combinator Team

Lux — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:09:21 -0000

Good on you guys to clarify! Good luck with your new co-op too :)

I like your co-op idea itself, the pooling of a certain % of each startup as incentive for everyone to collaborate and help each other more. It will be interesting to see how that works out, and whether that's an idea that other similar investors attempt. Perhaps even an eventual backport of the idea to YC's program... :)

Re: Sincere Apologies to Paul Graham and the Y Combinator Team

NowStreamMike — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:04:23 -0000

Way to own up to your mistake. Props.

Re: Sincere Apologies to Paul Graham and the Y Combinator Team

Brian Fox — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:28:29 -0000

Thanks for addressing this issue so promptly. I can't speak for the YC community, since I only read their news page, but I think they will feel better about it. I think a lot of the comments were that this is a good idea and that YC should be honored that other folks are trying to do something similar. I just submitted this posting to their news site.