转 @ycombinator 是硅谷的一家重要机构，真正是一股向善的力量。 像许多伟大的机构一样，它既传承古老智慧，也不断为当下时代更新经验。 最近我与 Jonathan Wulkan（他在 Hg 创立了旧金山办公室）进行了一次对话，讨论了 Zalos（YC F25）从 Y Combinator 身上学到的经验（播客链接在评论区）。 YC 的经典智慧依然适用——但它已经被有意义地更新，以对应 智能时代（Age of Intelligence） 的需求。 非常感谢 @garrytan 开启这个新时代，也感谢 @t_blom 帮助我们将其应用落地。 以下是我的一些个人总结： 🧠 旧版 YC 智慧（Old YC wisdom） ⤷ 构建人们需要的东西（Build something people want） ⤷ 去做那些不可规模化的事（Do things that don’t scale） ⤷ 增长能解决大部分问题（Growth solves most problems） ⤷ 避免“焦油坑点子”：看似诱人却会浪费大量时间（如菜谱类 App） 💡 新版 YC 智慧（New YC wisdom） ⤷ “AI 预算”是新的焦油坑。缺乏真实投入的设计合作，很难在企业内部获得推动力。 ⤷ 前线部署式工程（Forward Deployed Engineering）。 以大规模方式去做那些“不可规模化的事”。 为企业构建缺失的功能（不一定是他们提出的那些），然后产品化。 ⤷ 去到冰球将要滑向的地方。 为明年模型能做到的事情提前构建产品——并在模型升级后实现超越。 ⤷ 更早进入企业市场。 企业比以往任何时候都更愿意从初创公司购买优秀产品，尤其是能真正帮助他们的产品。 我们的朋友 HappyRobot 展示了这种可能性！ 🔥 Zalos 是如何应用这些理念的（How Zalos is applying it） ✦ 把赌注押在计算机智能体（Computer Agents）上 ✦ 专注中端市场，并即将拓展至企业市场 ✦ 采用“Agent Tools”方法，为客户提供最大灵活性 @ycombinator is a Silicon Valley institution and truly a force for good. Like many great institutions, it builds up old wisdom - and updates lessons for current times. Recently I spoke with Jonathan Wulkan, who founded the San Francisco office at Hg, about the lessons Zalos (YC F25) has taken from Y Combinator (podcast link in comments). YC’s classic wisdom still holds – but it’s been meaningfully updated for the Age of Intelligence. Huge thanks to @garrytan for this new era, and @t_blom helping us to apply it. Here's my personal take - 🧠Old YC wisdom🧠 ⤷ Build something people want ⤷ Do things that don’t scale ⤷ Growth solves most problems ⤷ Avoid “tarpit ideas”: seductive, time sinks (e.g., recipe apps) 💡New YC wisdom💡 ⤷ “AI budgets” = the new tarpits. Design partnerships without real investment rarely get internal traction. ⤷ Forward Deployed Engineering. Do things that don’t scale, at scale. Build missing features for Enterprises (maybe not the ones they request), then productize. ⤷ Skate to where the puck is going. Build for what next year’s models make possible – then outperform when the model upgrades. ⤷ Go Enterprise earlier. More willing than ever to buy from startups, and great products can especially help them - our friends at HappyRobot showed us what’s possible! 🔥How Zalos is applying it🔥 ✦ Betting on Computer Agents ✦ Focusing on midmarket and soon enterprise ✦ Taking an Agent Tools approach for customer flexibility
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观点原文
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@ycombinator 是硅谷的一家重要机构，真正是一股向善的力量。
像许多伟大的机构一样，它既传承古老智慧，也不断为当下时代更新经验。
最近我与 Jonathan Wulkan（他在 Hg 创立了旧金山办公室）进行了一次对话，讨论了 Zalos（YC F25）从 Y Combinator 身上学到的经验（播客链接在评论区）。
YC 的经典智慧依然适用——但它已经被有意义地更新，以对应 智能时代（Age of Intelligence） 的需求。
非常感谢 @garrytan 开启这个新时代，也感谢 @t_blom 帮助我们将其应用落地。
以下是我的一些个人总结：
🧠 旧版 YC 智慧（Old YC wisdom）
⤷ 构建人们需要的东西（Build something people want）
⤷ 去做那些不可规模化的事（Do things that don’t scale）
⤷ 增长能解决大部分问题（Growth solves most problems）
⤷ 避免“焦油坑点子”：看似诱人却会浪费大量时间（如菜谱类 App）
💡 新版 YC 智慧（New YC wisdom）
⤷ “AI 预算”是新的焦油坑。缺乏真实投入的设计合作，很难在企业内部获得推动力。
⤷ 前线部署式工程（Forward Deployed Engineering）。
以大规模方式去做那些“不可规模化的事”。
为企业构建缺失的功能（不一定是他们提出的那些），然后产品化。
⤷ 去到冰球将要滑向的地方。
为明年模型能做到的事情提前构建产品——并在模型升级后实现超越。
⤷ 更早进入企业市场。
企业比以往任何时候都更愿意从初创公司购买优秀产品，尤其是能真正帮助他们的产品。
我们的朋友 HappyRobot 展示了这种可能性！
🔥 Zalos 是如何应用这些理念的（How Zalos is applying it）
✦ 把赌注押在计算机智能体（Computer Agents）上
✦ 专注中端市场，并即将拓展至企业市场
✦ 采用“Agent Tools”方法，为客户提供最大灵活性
@ycombinator is a Silicon Valley institution and truly a force for good.
Like many great institutions, it builds up old wisdom - and updates lessons for current times.
Recently I spoke with Jonathan Wulkan, who founded the San Francisco office at Hg, about the lessons Zalos (YC F25) has taken from Y Combinator (podcast link in comments).
YC’s classic wisdom still holds – but it’s been meaningfully updated for the Age of Intelligence.
Huge thanks to @garrytan for this new era, and @t_blom
helping us to apply it.
Here's my personal take -
🧠Old YC wisdom🧠
⤷ Build something people want
⤷ Do things that don’t scale
⤷ Growth solves most problems
⤷ Avoid “tarpit ideas”: seductive, time sinks (e.g., recipe apps)
💡New YC wisdom💡
⤷ “AI budgets” = the new tarpits. Design partnerships without real investment rarely get internal traction.
⤷ Forward Deployed Engineering. Do things that don’t scale, at scale. Build missing features for Enterprises (maybe not the ones they request), then productize.
⤷ Skate to where the puck is going. Build for what next year’s models make possible – then outperform when the model upgrades.
⤷ Go Enterprise earlier. More willing than ever to buy from startups, and great products can especially help them - our friends at HappyRobot showed us what’s possible!
🔥How Zalos is applying it🔥
✦ Betting on Computer Agents
✦ Focusing on midmarket and soon enterprise
✦ Taking an Agent Tools approach for customer flexibility
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