Is it typical for VC to just throw money at projects without any sort of oversight/auditing of, oh jeez, IDK, Licensing/Legal issues?
I suppose they figure they can just buy it out in court appeals or something if someone were to take a grievance up with that.
How does Graham, et al justify this lackadaisical attitude... "You win some you lose some"? "It all comes out in the wash"? I guess if you got masses of money to throw away you don't particular care about the legal ramifications? It's just an entry in the books.
How did YC not smell that as a flag, and why should anyone TRUST YC after such a misstep? Or other VCs, not to dish just on YC... How many other situations like this are out there?
Are they going to work to verify licenses with all their projects? Or just wait til disaster erupts and someone finds out they done messed up (oh I know the answer based on the SV motto "ask forgiveness instead of permission").
I am slightly snarky with my attitude, but this is serious shit, and it matters, because the social contract matters, SV Homo Superior Morality be damned. This is the kind of attitude that leads to bank collapses, because they're so busy huffing greed and damn the consequences. In this case, it's obviously not nearly as catastrophic, but it gets tiring to see this attitude that they get to reap benefits while externalities? Those are for the little people to pay.
Traditionally YC invested in the potential of the team, not the details. One purpose of the YC program is/was to fix minor issues including legal ones.
Using a random number generator to write the legally binding license which you will be legally held to in a court of law is not a "minor issue" and not even something that's necessarily "fixable".
I am not a lawyer, but I guarantee you running this strategy past any lawyer will at best get you laughed out of the room.
This reads exactly the same as when people make irresponsible claims like "I know tons of people that don't have home insurance and they were fine. Therefore insurance is a scam"
I suppose they figure they can just buy it out in court appeals or something if someone were to take a grievance up with that.
How does Graham, et al justify this lackadaisical attitude... "You win some you lose some"? "It all comes out in the wash"? I guess if you got masses of money to throw away you don't particular care about the legal ramifications? It's just an entry in the books.
How did YC not smell that as a flag, and why should anyone TRUST YC after such a misstep? Or other VCs, not to dish just on YC... How many other situations like this are out there?
Are they going to work to verify licenses with all their projects? Or just wait til disaster erupts and someone finds out they done messed up (oh I know the answer based on the SV motto "ask forgiveness instead of permission").
I am slightly snarky with my attitude, but this is serious shit, and it matters, because the social contract matters, SV Homo Superior Morality be damned. This is the kind of attitude that leads to bank collapses, because they're so busy huffing greed and damn the consequences. In this case, it's obviously not nearly as catastrophic, but it gets tiring to see this attitude that they get to reap benefits while externalities? Those are for the little people to pay.