I don't think that it's silly to ask whether the law of diminishing returns has to kick in at some point. Not for the investors, but the founders. PG and co cannot be cloned or replicated. PG can pick winners but he cannot create more time. If you consider the primary value of YC to be PG, and accept that a YC startup founder will get a progressively smaller slice of the pie that is PG's time... then you have a function for decreasing founder value for the equity they give up for YC.
Now, given that the recent $150k situation is in effect, it means that in three years the typical YC startup will have more money and less individual attention from PG. He can continue to hire amazing folks like Harj and Paul to spread the love, but at some point there has to be a point on the graph where time and value peak.
I speculate that the peak will occur in 2011. I am hugely grateful to Paul for his contributions to my world, so I will only say that I sincerely hope he and Jessica take a really awesome vacation at some point in the near future. I'd chip in $100 for that, because I've received more value from his essays and HN than any other single source of information and networking.
Now, given that the recent $150k situation is in effect, it means that in three years the typical YC startup will have more money and less individual attention from PG. He can continue to hire amazing folks like Harj and Paul to spread the love, but at some point there has to be a point on the graph where time and value peak.
I speculate that the peak will occur in 2011. I am hugely grateful to Paul for his contributions to my world, so I will only say that I sincerely hope he and Jessica take a really awesome vacation at some point in the near future. I'd chip in $100 for that, because I've received more value from his essays and HN than any other single source of information and networking.