It's a forum that properly belongs in the late 90s that's been kept alive by extremely diligent moderation and a fucking shitton of venture capital.
The unreasonable effectiveness of dang.
> and a fucking shitton of venture capital.
Certainly something that Y Combinator doesn't lack is money, but I can't imagine running HN being that expensive. Its traffic is way less than most mainstream sources and there's little to no development.
I'd rather say it managed to become a cultural icon in its niche, hence its continued success.
When I was a kid in LA, there was this coffee house that had 6 tables inside, shotgun sized place, started by a guy and his sister who moved from Oklahoma City with the eventual intention of starting tiki bars. When they got successful in the bar business, they were about to shut down the coffee place. But it was an all night joint - I was working there a few nights a week, and mostly I would play chess or cards with the regulars when I didn't have to get up and serve coffee. People were really distraught that it was being shut down. One of the regulars, a guy named Jeremy, bought it. Didn't make a dime. Just wanted his place to come have coffee and cigarettes all night. And he knew how to keep people in check, which is what you need to run any good establishment. This is a bit like that.
Which entity are you claiming is the owner and funder of HN? The FAQ says:
What's the relationship between YC and HN?
Y Combinator owns and funds HN. The HN team is editorially independent.[1] https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/th...