I understand the negative sentiment around these experiments from YC at some level.
But YC lives & dies by the quality of their "funnel", so to speak.
If they miss the next Airbnb because they overlook them or don't have a broad enough funnel in the first place that will cripple YC's ability to grow.
These experiments are part of YC's inevitable scaling challenges that are analog to any successful startup -> your platform is tested & proven, your current growth engine is reliable but you want to keep going faster.
So what do you do?
Find new marketing channels, experiment with new products (line extension), test new "funnels" to drive through a higher ratio of succesful outcomes.
Good on yah YC for eating the dogfood you're selling :)
But YC lives & dies by the quality of their "funnel", so to speak.
If they miss the next Airbnb because they overlook them or don't have a broad enough funnel in the first place that will cripple YC's ability to grow.
These experiments are part of YC's inevitable scaling challenges that are analog to any successful startup -> your platform is tested & proven, your current growth engine is reliable but you want to keep going faster.
So what do you do?
Find new marketing channels, experiment with new products (line extension), test new "funnels" to drive through a higher ratio of succesful outcomes.
Good on yah YC for eating the dogfood you're selling :)
(1) http://paulgraham.com/airbnb.html