New YC homepage

Visual Design & UX

• Many praise the redesign as clean, polished, and distinctive, especially:
  • The “before/after” founder photo sequences.
  • The “Be in the room with …” hover/video effects.
  • Typography and smooth animations.
• Some find the new aesthetic “not very YC,” missing the old, plain, almost nostalgic style.
• Specific UX critiques:
  • Founder carousel scrolls too fast / is too sensitive; easy to skip items, especially with notched scroll wheels.
  • Users often try to click photos to enlarge them; a media viewer is requested.
  • YC/Now timer can flip before images load.
  • A black top bar visually evokes a memorial page for some viewers.

Founder-Centric Messaging & “Campaign” Vibe

• Several note the strong pivot in emphasis from companies to founders, with language like “turns builders into formidable founders.”
• Some like the spotlight on people and “humble beginnings”; others think the tone resembles a political campaign or military recruitment video.
• There’s debate over whether YC has always been founder-first internally but previously presented more as product-first externally.

“Formidable Founder” Quote & Values

• The definition of a “formidable founder” as someone who will get what they want “regardless of whatever obstacles are in the way” is highly contentious:
  • Supporters see it as realistic, focused determination.
  • Critics read it as valorizing bullying, disregard for law, ethics, and social consequences; some explicitly link this to real-world harms from high-growth startups.
• Several appreciate that the site is blunt about YC’s priorities: intensity, speed, and wealth creation, not wisdom or ethics.

Valuations, Impact, and Survivor Bias

• The top section’s “started here, now worth $X B” framing draws mixed reactions:
  • Some find the focus on valuations and exits hollow or “greed laid bare.”
  • Others say that’s exactly what a VC is for and value the clarity.
• Suggestions:
  • Highlight operational impact metrics (e.g., nights booked, orders delivered) rather than only IPO/market caps.
  • Show negative externalities too (housing impact, fee extraction).
• Multiple commenters note heavy survivor bias: only big winners are featured, like a lottery marketing only winners, while a vast graveyard of failed YC startups is invisible.

OpenAI, Politics, and Ethics

• The inclusion and ordering of OpenAI prominently among batch companies is called “misleading” by some, especially with a single founder photo and little context on the path from earlier failures.
• Others argue YC was an early funder and has every right to feature it.
• Separate subthread portrays YC’s leadership and some portfolio choices as deeply political, even “tech corporatist,” citing public controversies; others request and receive mainstream-press references to support these claims.

Technical Implementation & Accessibility

• Multiple users report a blank page with JavaScript disabled and call that a failure.
• The number of script files is deemed excessive; some see it as over-engineered compared to HN’s minimalism.
• Requests include dark mode, a refreshed cofounder-match sub-site, filters by batch/industry, and more transparency about success/failure ratios and founder demographics.