[argonaut]

If you think about it, YC Research is how academic research used to be funded centuries ago - patronage by wealthy elites.

[angersock]

Quite right!

That being the case, let's dispense with the pretense and just recognize the community for what it is: courtisanship and begging for patrons.

[argonaut]

I mean, I don't see it quite so negatively. It's good to have a diverse mix of funding sources: academia, government grants, industry research, and private research (non-industry oriented) like YCR.

[webmaven]

Meh. Not so much. Too many Bigelows these days:

http://theawl.com/the-strange-history-of-robert-bigelow-who-...