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The social radar: Y Combinator’s secret weapon | Jessica Livingston (co-founder of Y Combinator, author, podcast host)

27 Jun 2024 20 published claims 2 attributable people
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Speakers in the public record

Jessica LivingstonLenny Rachitsky

Claim mix

evaluation 8belief 7preference 2recommendation 2uncertainty 1

Evidence policy

Every row below preserves an exact excerpt. Identified speakers are linked; unresolved voices are labeled and excluded from people counts.

Claim ledger

The useful parts, with receipts.

20 published records

01 / evaluation

He hated their idea, and Paul tried to get Brian and Joe and Nate to change it. But I remember specifically Joe brought out the cereal boxes, the Obama O's and Cap'n McCain's, and I just thought, oh my God, they're going to work hard to do whatever they can to make this company succeed.

“He hated their idea, and Paul tried to get Brian and Joe and Nate to change it. But I remember specifically Joe brought out the cereal boxes, the Obama O's and Cap'n McCain's, and I just thought, oh my God, they're going to work hard to do whatever they can to make this company succeed.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

02 / evaluation

They're going to work hard to do whatever they can to make this company succeed. And even though we were skeptical about the idea, I think we definitely made the right bet on the founders, and it was just very clear in that interview.

“They're going to work hard to do whatever they can to make this company succeed. And even though we were skeptical about the idea, I think we definitely made the right bet on the founders, and it was just very clear in that interview.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

04 / belief

I think we've taught people a lot of really important and really actionable things and I know you don't think you did, but you did.

“I think we've taught people a lot of really important and really actionable things and I know you don't think you did, but you did.”
Speaker
Lenny Rachitsky
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

05 / belief

Just like having deep domain expertise in an area, and I think that's probably where they probably don't pivot oftentimes, where they've actually have experience in that specific problem.

“Just like having deep domain expertise in an area, and I think that's probably where they probably don't pivot oftentimes, where they've actually have experience in that specific problem.”
Speaker
Lenny Rachitsky
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

06 / belief

Just this, I think people call it techno optimism, this idea of just like tech is great, technology is doing great things for us, let's just tell these stories in a really positive way versus look at all the harm they're causing, technology stop, slow it down.

“Just this, I think people call it techno optimism, this idea of just like tech is great, technology is doing great things for us, let's just tell these stories in a really positive way versus look at all the harm they're causing, technology stop, slow it down.”
Speaker
Lenny Rachitsky
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

07 / belief

One is this idea of just making shit happen, showing signs of being hustlers, just getting shit done, Obama O's, things like that. And then I think along the same lines, just passion for this idea and just like almost charisma.

“One is this idea of just making shit happen, showing signs of being hustlers, just getting shit done, Obama O's, things like that. And then I think along the same lines, just passion for this idea and just like almost charisma.”
Speaker
Lenny Rachitsky
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

08 / belief

I think what's extraordinary about the fact that that happens rarely is that your interviews are 10 minutes long, and so you have very little time to actually find all these things.

“I think what's extraordinary about the fact that that happens rarely is that your interviews are 10 minutes long, and so you have very little time to actually find all these things.”
Speaker
Lenny Rachitsky
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

09 / uncertainty

You have to have a natural interest in people. And so I'm sometimes not listening to all the words and I'm sort of just observing them, I don't know.

“You have to have a natural interest in people. And so I'm sometimes not listening to all the words and I'm sort of just observing them, I don't know.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

11 / preference

I decided to start The Social Radars because I live off in the English countryside, not really as connected as I'd like to be with Silicon Valley, partly by choice, but I do miss it a lot.

“I decided to start The Social Radars because I live off in the English countryside, not really as connected as I'd like to be with Silicon Valley, partly by choice, but I do miss it a lot.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

12 / evaluation

In terms of content, every single episode is a gem in its own right, and there aren't massive lessons because they're all sort of specific to that person, and I never know exactly which direction we're going to go in when we get into things.

“In terms of content, every single episode is a gem in its own right, and there aren't massive lessons because they're all sort of specific to that person, and I never know exactly which direction we're going to go in when we get into things.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

13 / evaluation

There were sort of two moments that I remember I felt like YC was working, because remember, we started Y Combinator as 100% like an experiment.

“There were sort of two moments that I remember I felt like YC was working, because remember, we started Y Combinator as 100% like an experiment.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

14 / recommendation

There's looking for in the application and then there's looking for in the interview, and now we have software that looks for all of the red flags in the application that I used to do by hand.

“There's looking for in the application and then there's looking for in the interview, and now we have software that looks for all of the red flags in the application that I used to do by hand.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

15 / evaluation

First of all, being defensive is really bad, if you're a startup founder, because you're always going to get people who question you.

“First of all, being defensive is really bad, if you're a startup founder, because you're always going to get people who question you.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

16 / preference

I've heard stories. But I think I would've funded him because he's so incredible and he was so smart and so interested in the product and knew...

“I've heard stories. But I think I would've funded him because he's so incredible and he was so smart and so interested in the product and knew...”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

17 / evaluation

There are so many wannabe founders, so many people doing it because it's cool or they think this idea is cool, but they don't really, deep down, have what it takes.

“There are so many wannabe founders, so many people doing it because it's cool or they think this idea is cool, but they don't really, deep down, have what it takes.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

18 / evaluation

I really think that our advantage was that my three co-founders were deeply technical people. And I think a lot of investors back then weren't, didn't have that background.

“I really think that our advantage was that my three co-founders were deeply technical people. And I think a lot of investors back then weren't, didn't have that background.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

19 / evaluation

Like someone who's confident in answering your questions but isn't defensive, there's definitely a difference. And I don't know, this is why I'm saying it's sort of hard to articulate these things, but confidence means you can say, "I've thought about that and I don't know the answer.

“Like someone who's confident in answering your questions but isn't defensive, there's definitely a difference. And I don't know, this is why I'm saying it's sort of hard to articulate these things, but confidence means you can say, "I've thought about that and I don't know the answer.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast

20 / recommendation

I do recommend, if people are just getting started and don't want to raise money yet, starting it on the side is a great way to get going, but at some point you have to commit, you have to burn the boat, because we found that founders who were still getting a paycheck and health insurance, once the going got tough, they did not quit their job.

“I do recommend, if people are just getting started and don't want to raise money yet, starting it on the side is a great way to get going, but at some point you have to commit, you have to burn the boat, because we found that founders who were still getting a paycheck and health insurance, once the going got tough, they did not quit their job.”
Publisher
Lenny's Podcast
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