[hnnewguy]

>Like Zuck? Drew Houston? It's easy to rattle off a dozen names who wouldn't have started their company if they'd worked at a big company for 5 years.

Outliers. It's all well and good to strive to do the same, but it isn't going to happen for the vast majority of people. And how can you presume what they would've done after going to work?

>Empirically, you're wrong about that. There are now over a thousand YC alums who prove you don't need it.

The business world is much, much larger than those 1000 alum. They are a drop in the bucket.

Where is all your data on the failures?

I have no qualms with the incubator industry, but I think most people have it backwards: the best path for most people is getting work experience first. For a few driven people with good ideas, head to start up world.