I am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator – AMA
Is there a place for Tarsnap at YC?<p>Applying for YC funding doesn't make sense for several reasons:<p>1. I want to be king, not rich; everything I hear tells me that YC pushes companies to grow fast and increase their valuations, and that's something I fundamentally don't care about.  I know that I'm stubborn enough that this would just result in a lot of frustration on both sides.<p>2. Tarsnap doesn't need the money.  It's solidly profitable, and I honestly have no idea what I would do with investment money.<p>3. I don't want to live in the bay area -- not even for 3 months.  Granted, this seems like it may be less of an issue now that it's possible for people with pre-existing conditions to get medical insurance; but the bay area is fundamentally not somewhere I can ever imagine myself wanting to live.<p>4. Converting Tarsnap into a US corporation would eat a lot of time and money.  I completely understand why it's necessary for companies YC is going to invest in; but it's another reason why having YC invest in Tarsnap doesn't make sense.<p>I think YC and its portfolio companies are doing great and interesting things, and I'd like to be part of the community... but as explained above, taking funding doesn't make sense; when I applied for the YC fellowship (I know it was a stretch) you told me to apply for funding instead; and you haven't asked me to be part of YCR.<p>Is there some other option here?