Understandable that there are a lot of thoughts on this and glad you pointed out that YC includes a brief video as part of the application - that's actually where we got the idea!
e.g. from the YC app
"Founder Video
Please record a one minute video introducing the founder(s).*
Make sure the file does not exceed 100 MB. Read more about the video here."
We're looking to confirm that applicants can clearly and concisely communicate by describing something challenging they've done. Our goal is to efficiently find thoughtful applicants.
We're proud of our team, with folks from a variety of backgrounds. Clarity of thought is distributed across populations. :)
e.g. from the YC app "Founder Video Please record a one minute video introducing the founder(s).* Make sure the file does not exceed 100 MB. Read more about the video here."
We're looking to confirm that applicants can clearly and concisely communicate by describing something challenging they've done. Our goal is to efficiently find thoughtful applicants.
We're proud of our team, with folks from a variety of backgrounds. Clarity of thought is distributed across populations. :)