

It feels kind of weird when.. you get rejected and than 5 months later read about.. your idea - segnor
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=467399

======
pg
Just in case anyone's uncertain, let me say explicitly that there's no
connection. I don't remember knarf's group's application, but I'm sure we
didn't turn anyone down because Immad and Jude were already working on a
similar idea. (We do sometimes turn down a group because another group is
doing the same thing, but I didn't understand what Immad and Jude were doing
at the time.)

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swombat
I'm not entirely sure why this is worth posting up on the front page...

Ideas are everywhere. Even groundbreaking, "hard" ideas (e.g. Calculus) can
occur in several places at once. Certainly, a flash game widget is not a new
idea and is being implemented by dozens of start-ups at this point in time.
The fact that two of them were connected with YCombinator is neither
surprising nor inappropriate.

This is a good example of why VCs never sign NDAs, basically. The chances of
this stuff happening by chance (rather than malice) is way too high.

It sounds trite, perhaps, but it's worth repeating that ideas are just one
ingredient in a successful start-up. Execution, timing, people, choice of
technology, marketing... all those are just as important, if not more.

~~~
nailer
'Even groundbreaking, "hard" ideas (e.g. Calculus) can occur in several places
at once. '

Indeed. The RSA algorithm - the basis for online commerce - was parallel
thought by two different teams of security researchers years apart, first by
GCHQ (part of the British government) then by RSA.

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rrival
After interviewing for PriceAdvance we were concerned that YC would mention
our idea to Bountii as it's in a similar vein. They did not, and further
demonstrated a level of integrity I imagine is unusual in the VC space by not
doing so. (<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=78761>)

Without hearing more about how your idea was different it's very difficult to
say whether or not it's just obvious next step, something others would easily
come up with. It is, of course, with anything, more about the team than the
idea, as has been said elsewhere. The execution rather than just the idea
itself.

Regardless, for my part, I find YC above reproach when it comes to any
insinuation that any sort of collusion or anything untoward might occur with
respect to genuinely interesting / novel / unique ideas.

------
foobar2k
A little anecdote about ideas:

A few years ago, I was talking to some members of my family who had a product
idea they wanted to develop. The idea was to sell travel toothbrushes with
toothpaste pumps in the handle of the toothbrush, so that the paste could be
stored in the toothbrush and dispensed through the head of the brush.

A few months later, I came across another couple, 5000 miles away in another
country discussing the exact same idea and speaking of investing their life
savings into the development.

Just last week, I heard someone speaking at a startup event about developing
and working on the exact same product

The point is, somewhere right now, someone is having the EXACT SAME IDEA as
you. Scratch that, 5 people are thinking about the same idea. A good idea is
important, but an idea is meaningless.

Design it. Build it. Sell it. Ideas won't make you any money, and nor will
complaining.

------
jgrahamc
Without tying to be harsh I'd say 'get over it'.

Many people come up with the same idea around the same time (take a look at
Newton and Leibniz). Also, it wouldn't be a great surprise if information
leaked inside YC. I bet PG isn't willing to sign an NDA when you come to see
him (and no VC will sign an NDA). That's not to say that PG is being
malicious, it's just the nature of being exposed to thousands of business
plans that they'll be leakage between them.

~~~
jacquesm
Without trying to be harsh, and given your 'orange' status I realize I'm
walking on thin ice here ;), but don't you think that to say that you would
not be surprised that there would be leakage within YC of people pitching to
established contacts is potentially highly damaging for YC and that that in
turn would make people skittyish of pitching to YC ?

I know the VC's that I work for are exceptionally dilligent in avoiding such
exposure, they would never ever stand for such a claim being made about them.

~~~
swombat
Just a little meta-nit-pick, but honestly, his "orange status" should not make
you feel like you're "walking on thin ice" or otherwise impede your urge to
declare your disagreement.

~~~
jacquesm
hence the ;)

I thought that was pretty obvious, forgive me.

------
sam_in_nyc
While a situation like this would initially anger me and turn me off to the
idea of continuing, I've learned to channel negative thoughts into something
positive. And don't mistake me, I'm not at all the mystical or enlightened
type.

What I mean is that I've learned to channel my rage into productivity. In
situations like these, you need to know how to motivate yourself. Visualize
being in a much bigger spotlight than your competitor, getting blogged by
TechCrunch and having every comment be positive, getting phone calls from
high-ups at businesses interested in acquisition. If you're the vengeful type,
think about having enough FU money to set things right in the future. Focus on
whatever it is that means success _to you_ , and try to get there.

If your #1 goal was really only to get YC funding, and if you allow failing at
one particular goal to stop you, then you just weren't cut out for this.

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okeumeni
"yc chose somebody else (who had already in the program before) to create a
business" I have to admit this part leave a bit uneasy from now on I will have
to think twice before ...

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allyt
OMG! YouTube for games! That was _my_ idea, and you _all_ stole it!

But seriously, this is an idea that's 100% execution, with tons of little
things to get right.

------
lionhearted
I'm upvoting this because it's worth discussion and I know how you feel.

True story: I knew a webmaster running a popular, static site that was
bringing in $2k/month near pure passive for him, but he'd stopped updating his
site and seemed to be losing interest. I decided I'd offer him $20,000 for his
site since it was really related to the company I was with, and I thought I
could make a decent return on it. I was willing to go as high as $30,000 if I
went through the books and they looked good.

So I meet the guy, and we went bowling together. I start talking, and a
competitor I knew had just bought the site a couple months ago - for $30,000.

Meh, I saw a little bit of red for a while, but this competitor was one of my
most respected. He and I would go out to lunch from time to time and share
ideas, but I'd never even insinuated at anything like my plan.

Great ideas will be came up with independently of each other. If you're seeing
a pattern of ideas you've got being created, then great job - it means you're
thinking intelligently about market needs and possibilities. Just keep
hustling, move fast when you do have a great idea, execute, and you'll get
yours. Cheers man, I know the feeling - it sucks - but keep it up and you'll
get yours.

------
tom
So if it was 5 months ago, why haven't you launched yet? Did getting rejected
spoil your motivation? If so, you likely wouldn't have pulled it off anyway.
Everyone is rejected at some point, and every idea has been thought, of and
many are being developed. As everyone keeps echoing - it's in the execution.
Come up with something new and do it - or if you think the folks who just
launched aren't doing it right, or well enough, go after them.

Best of luck.

