This code of ethics is exactly for the purpose of establishing the means to kick people out of YC. It's essentially a legal document that covers any implied contracts in regard to privileges historically associated with having been a YC founder - e.g. participating in application reviews, a slightly different version of HN, and in particular it seems, the ability to market one's self as a 'YC founder.' [1]
In short, it's directly about protecting the brand, and indirectly a tool for helping individual founders protect their reputation in times of extreme stress. The analogy that comes to mind is 'morality clauses' in professional sports contracts. It sets the bar higher than "Is it legal?".
It_is_legal = worst(allowed_by_law)
The merit of YC giving themselves the option to kick out people they don't like is something about which we can argue endlessly. Personally, I'm OK with it. It's firing the customer, and that's good business and a way for a business to maintain standards.
[1] This one is ontologically interesting. Can YC Foundership really be revoked? Isn't it an immutable fact that a person is a 'YC Founder' once the check clears? Is 'YC Founder' trademarked? If so, how does this sit with YC's general stance on intellectual property? Is my philosophical pondering itch scratched? It turns out, yes.
Pardon if this is slightly off-topic, but you mentioned a slightly different version of HN - this is the first time I hear about this. Could you please provide more details? 10x
This code of ethics is exactly for the purpose of establishing the means to kick people out of YC. It's essentially a legal document that covers any implied contracts in regard to privileges historically associated with having been a YC founder - e.g. participating in application reviews, a slightly different version of HN, and in particular it seems, the ability to market one's self as a 'YC founder.' [1]
In short, it's directly about protecting the brand, and indirectly a tool for helping individual founders protect their reputation in times of extreme stress. The analogy that comes to mind is 'morality clauses' in professional sports contracts. It sets the bar higher than "Is it legal?".
The merit of YC giving themselves the option to kick out people they don't like is something about which we can argue endlessly. Personally, I'm OK with it. It's firing the customer, and that's good business and a way for a business to maintain standards.[1] This one is ontologically interesting. Can YC Foundership really be revoked? Isn't it an immutable fact that a person is a 'YC Founder' once the check clears? Is 'YC Founder' trademarked? If so, how does this sit with YC's general stance on intellectual property? Is my philosophical pondering itch scratched? It turns out, yes.