YC provides an ethics statement and code of conduct to every startup they fund, and is serious about following up on this.<p>The &quot;startup = growth&quot; and &quot;hack-the-system&quot; are good mantras inside or outside YC, but are not a &quot;YC value&quot;.<p>If anything, I&#x27;d say the #1 thing that YC values are their founders, and they expect them to be smart, driven, and ethical.