[edanm]

> The thing is that it is very hard to tell, early on, if you have a potential $10M or $10B company.

I (kind of) disagree with one part of your comment. YC can't tell whether a startup has the potential to be a $10B kind of company, but a person starting a company can certainly decide whether they want to go for a $10B company.

Many people do - a lot of startup founders are trying to be the next Google. But some of them are not, in which case YC isn't right for them (and they'd probably need to pick the right idea/product/company to work on that can succeed without needing to be a $10B company).

Btw, I think you make a great point about Microsoft/BASIC!

[tlb]

Many people find that once they have built something to satisfy their original ambition, they enjoy growing and want to keep doing it. And some find they want to stay small and customer-focused, and some cash out and spend their days windsurfing. You can’t be sure which you will choose until you have the choice.