[qnk]

  4. If we invest in you, your group is expected to move to
  the Bay Area for June–August 2018.

  6. Y Combinator doesn’t supply office space. We have space
  you can use if you need to, but we expect you to work out
  of wherever you find to live.

Why is it so important to be in the Bay Area? I get that for some interactions it'd be ideal to be there, but I don't see the need for a team to actually move there.

[LearnerHerzog]

In the FAQ https://www.ycombinator.com/faq/#q21

"Can we do it without moving to where you are?

Sorry, no. We tried this once, and by Demo Day that startup was way behind the rest. What we do, we have to do in person. We would not be doing a startup a favor by not making them come to YC events in person.

However, you don't have to be in silicon valley 24x7. If you have a business that requires that you be somewhere else, we will work something out so you can participate in YC events while also being attentive to your business. Usually the founders will rotate between locations, or fly back and forth.

Of course, after the 3 month program, you can go wherever you want."

[nawitus]

Using a single anecdote is not good evidence for this policy.

[betenoire]

I assume the story is more complex than the one-liner from the FAQ, but I agree.

[verelo]

Approximately 7 years ago I applied to YC, and rightly so I was rejected [our idea sucked, our presentation of it sucked even more...i had a lot to learn in general]. Having said that, given how far the world has changed in that time, but how little progress YC seems to have made [other than diluting their value across a larger number of companies per cohort], I don't know they're still as interesting in the world today.

Additionally, i hate Bay Area "culture". I feel like it's got a lot of the problems Hollywood has, and frankly even if it didn't, i'm not sure I'd want to live in an overpriced apartment in the burbs. On the plus side, the weather is great...

[thoaway012218]

I now have a business that grossed $50k+ last month just because I was forced to answer the "what did you hack lately" question. YC rejected my application but the hack idea, which I posted on Youtube, had so much interest it became a real company. Thanks YC!

[plinkplonk]

> "what did you hack lately" question.

Is this part of the application anymore? I took a quick look and all I could find was

"Please tell us about an interesting project, preferably outside of class or work, that two or more of you created together. Include urls if possible. "

"Please tell us something surprising or amusing that one of you has discovered. "

both of which seem to be, at best, sanitized versions of the original questions which IIRC referred specifically to hacking systems, and impressive achievements of founders.

(If somebody has saved the original questions from the PG era, could you confirms this?)

[vqc]

The application now comes in two parts: one for the "business" and one for each founder. I believe the "hack" question is now in the founder application.

[plinkplonk]

Thank You. Very Interesting!

[yeukhon]

On the last point: I wouldn’t starting my company in the Bay Area either, both the culture and the expense, but more so because I live in NYC so I have everywhere I need. For those, say, living in middle of nowhere, I still suggest look at NYC, Austin, Seattle, Denver and Boston. Plenty of opportunities.

[CapitalistCartr]

This question has been asked many times before; Paul Graham has answered it in several essays, the most interesting of which I think is "A Taste for Makers".

http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html

[V2hLe0ThslzRaV2]

Starting point for understanding why YC would want startups to move to the Bay Area would be be to read "Why to Move to a Startup Hub" by Paul Graham, one of the co-founders of YC:

http://www.paulgraham.com/startuphubs.html

[nikanj]

The commute to the office hours/dinners?