From YC Rejections to Viral Success: Just Build Cool Stuff
garrytan · x · 2026-08-17
The author shares the journey of applying to Y Combinator (YC) three times without success. The breakthrough came when they shifted focus from "getting into YC" to "building cool stuff." They built a prototype for controlling the entire computer with AI (starting with the browser) in just 4 days and posted it on Show HN. It went viral, which ultimately secured their spot in YC. The key takeaway: focus on building products and understanding users.
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