Great Hackers

BlogApr 19, 2026

Original excerpt

Want to start a startup? Get funded by Y Combinator. July 2004 _(This essay is derived from a talk at Oscon 2004.)_ A few months ago I finished a new book, and in reviews I keep noticing words like "provocative'' and "controversial.'' To say nothing of "idiotic.'' I didn't mean to make the book controversial. I was trying to make it efficient. I didn't want to waste people's time telling them things they already knew. It's more efficient just to give them the diffs. But I suppose that's bound to yield an alarming book. Edisons There's no controversy about which idea is most controversial: the suggestion that variation in wealth might not be as big a problem as we think. I didn't say in the…

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