Garry Tan criticized college entrepreneurship programs for promoting a 'fake it till you make it' mindset, which he believes encourages dishonesty among students. He expressed concern that this approach could result in negative reputational impacts for the tech industry, likening such behavior to that of infamous figures in technology. Tan emphasized that software should empower creators without the need to lie. Jared Friedman, associated with Y Combinator, echoed these sentiments, arguing that academic courses on entrepreneurship often fail to capture the true essence and chaotic nature of startups, offering instead a superficial understanding.
I'm very worried about them because what we're coming to understand is they are teaching you to lie. Software is the most empowering thing in the world. Why do you have to lie?
Anytime you try to bottle up entrepreneurship and teach it as a college course, what you end up with is basically a cheap facsimile. They teach you to follow a particular method or a particular practice and that's just not what startups are actually like.
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