Business, Startups & Economics: what Hacker News watches
9 topics, 585 videos. Pick a topic for a focused list, or scan the 100 best-scored across the whole area below.
- Startups & entrepreneurship 121
- Product, marketing & sales 81
- Management, leadership & organizations 79
- Tech industry & business models 114
- Investing & personal finance 75
- Macroeconomics & financial crises 90
- Microeconomics & behavioral economics 85
- Labor, work & inequality 92
- Business & economics (other) 50
- 13 HN recommenders 11 months 2020–2024R Rob Walling · talkIt is the go-to talk HN commenters recommend to anyone asking about bootstrapping, SaaS pricing, or choosing bootstrapping over VC.
- 8 HN recommenders 8 months 2016–2022W WIRED Investigations · documentaryStrongly recommended in Shenzhen and hardware threads for its view of fast cycles, loose IP and the maker ecosystem.
- 12 HN recommenders 9 months 2015–2026C CreativeMornings HQ · talkHN regulars send freelancers and consultants to it whenever clients don't pay or contracts come up.
- 8 HN recommenders 8 months 2010–2023For over a decade HN has pointed bootstrappers and skeptics of hyper-scale startup culture to it as a motivating, influential talk.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2012–2023HN commenters return to it as a worldview-shaping talk whose predictions about technology and startup ideas turned out to be prescient.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2017–2026HN treats it as the classic teardown and the go-to example of over-engineered hardware built without real-world constraints.
- 7 HN recommenders 6 months 2015–2024X XOXO Festival · talkHN uses it as the favorite antidote to survivorship-bias success stories, arguing that trying many cheap things raises your odds.
- 3 HN recommenders 7 months 2018–2024It is HN's standard answer to questions on creativity, finding problems and PARC history, valued for Kay's thinking about thinking.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2016–2022A Austin Meyer · commentaryHN commenters pass it around as an eye-opening first-hand account of patent trolling and the Texas courts that favor it.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2017–2025HN recommends it as a serious, influential talk on market size and monopoly, though some commenters criticize its philosophy as endorsing anti-competitive goals.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2020–2025X X, The Moonshot Factory · documentaryHN recommends it as a technically rich, beautifully made documentary on ambitious hardware engineering and failure.
- 3 HN recommenders 6 months 2017–2024Frequently suggested in Ask HN threads on finding ideas, creativity and why incumbents like Xerox missed what they invented.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2014–2026D DEMO · talkHN commenters treat it as a thought-provoking talk on invention versus innovation, and cite it in discussions of software complexity and startups.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2013–2017M Montalvo Machado · talkRecommended to freelancers and consultants as practical advice on contracts and getting paid.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2010–2024M Micky Thompson · interviewHN commenters cite it whenever someone asks whether to quit a job or start a company, as a simple decision heuristic.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2012–2024T theragax · demoHN cites it as the classic example of validating a product idea with a demo video, and many recall how compelling it was.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2012–2017B BAMM.TV · talkHN commenters recommend it for insight into Kalanick's background and how his past failures shaped his mindset at Uber.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2024Y YC Root Access · lectureHN commenters recommend the series as timeless startup advice from strong speakers, and cite specific points from Altman and Moskovitz.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2016HN recommends it as an excellent speech from Watsi's founder, especially on keeping a nonprofit aligned with the people it serves.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2024HN founders recommend it as a must-watch on recognizing real product-market fit and avoiding solutions in search of problems.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2010–2018HN points to it as a staple pg talk, and it appears in lists of the best startup videos and tech talks.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2012–2021S Silicon Valley Historical Association · interviewHN commenters return to it as a motivational reminder to not fear failure and to just ask for what you want.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2020W webdirections · talkHN regards it as an inspiring, funny case for modest, bootstrapped success over venture-funded risk.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2012–2017HN recommends it in startup video lists for its stories and Sacca's candid background.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2010–2015HN commenters cite it for its memorable lines on advice, limited experience and early user focus, and rewatch it as a reminder not to be prescriptive.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024S S3 | Science, Startups, & Stories · explainerHN commenters point to it as a clear, short tour of Terraform's synthetic fuel approach and goals.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2015Recommended to understand what the 37signals founders stand for and DHH's contrarian takes on tech business.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2024E Edward Capaldi · lectureCited as the short, famous introduction to Jobs To Be Done and competition framing.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2010–2011HN commenters recommend it as an energetic, unscripted talk on creating for the long term and hustling.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2022HN recommends it as a strong founder talk that shows how formidable and practical Young is, with advice delivered through a beaver metaphor.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2024HN commenters point to it as practical YC advice on iterating on a product and talking to users.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2019Recommended as an entertaining story of a joke side project growing out of hand, brought up in threads on emoji and side projects.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2009–2020HN recommends it as practical advice on dealing with tech press, whenever someone asks how to pitch TechCrunch and similar outlets.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2022E Entrepreneurship.org · talkHN recommends it as the classic counterpoint to Silicon Valley growth-at-all-costs startup thinking.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2016HN people link it for Paul Graham's candid views on startups, Aaron Swartz, and investing selection.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2016D Dollar Shave Club · comedy videoHN holds it up as a great example of a funny, viral company video that frames the razor market well.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2026HN posts it as a joke in productivity and focus threads, and some praise the channel as pitch-perfect satire of tech stereotypes.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2010–2014T ThisWeekinStartups · interviewRecommended as an entertaining look at DHH's views and what the 37signals founders stand for.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2025Offered as a more down-to-earth Musk interview with better questions than most, and cited for his stated concerns about concentrated AI power.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2018HN commenters recommend it as one of the best single introductions to Thiel's worldview on technology and stagnation.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2025Recommended as a compact, practical summary of enterprise SaaS sales for technical founders.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2020Recommended as the single Startup School video worth watching, a short and dense talk on what makes a startup work; one commenter dismisses it as platitudes.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2021L @levelsio · talkPointed to as an inspiring talk for solo makers turning side projects into profitable businesses.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2017M modplanman · lectureHN recommends it as an amazing, clear explanation of why incumbents move upmarket and lose to low-end challengers.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2009–2016Recommended in Ask HN career threads as motivational advice to use spare hours to start building.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2016HN calls it a favorite startup video because it is packed with candid stories about Facebook, Twitter and Google.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2022C Caroline bruins · documentaryHN recommends it as an entertaining dot-com-era story and a cautionary tale about VC funding and fake-it-till-you-make-it growth.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2025Commenters recommend the whole talk as practical, tactical advice for early customer acquisition and outbound sales.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2026Recommended in solo-developer threads for its insights on shipping small projects with simple stacks and AI tools.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2020K Khan Academy · interviewHN cites it as a source for specific Musk anecdotes and as an immensely interesting full conversation.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022V Vercel · talkLinked as the origin story and rationale for Solito and for sharing code between web and mobile.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2023Z Ze Frank · comedy videoShared as reassurance and a reality check for people with idea overflow who keep planning instead of doing.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2022Pointed to for the founder's own account of Instagram's pivot, early scaling on Django with a small team, and avoiding overengineering.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2020Mostly cited to support specific points Naval makes, such as platforms and free speech, rather than as a general must-watch.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2025O Oxide Computer Company · podcast episodeHN cites it as Oxide's own explanation of how they ship hardware as a startup and why they picked illumos.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2011–2012M mahalodotcom · interviewShared as an early long-form Musk interview, notably for his answer about what motivates him.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2022HN commenters link it in housing and urbanism threads as a clear explanation of unsustainable car-oriented development and fragile systems.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2021W Web2day · talkHN points to it as a look under the hood of a remarkable one-developer project.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2026G Gravitas Documentaries · documentaryRecommended as a fun and illuminating watch on early mobile computing, especially in threads about Bill Atkinson and Telescript.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2009–2014HN points to it as a source for Norvig's 'unreasonable effectiveness of data' argument and for his views on image search and the semantic web.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2016HN recalls it as a well-liked talk from a respected founder, cited on startup ambition and on how few servers StackOverflow needed.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2024Referenced in threads about disruption and incumbents as a clear statement of his theories.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2025C Chuck Severance · interviewHN people share it as a precise, early statement of Amazon's pitch, useful for startup idea reasoning.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2020HN points to it as a look at what YC office hours are like and as an early glimpse of Flexport and CodeCombat pitching.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2025C CS50 · lectureHN commenters mine it for early-Facebook history, such as his view on open source, privacy and the problems that shaped its architecture.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2020Recommended to technical founders who need a practical introduction to B2B and enterprise sales.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2012–2023U Udacity · lectureHN cites it as a first-hand admission from a founder of how Reddit seeded content with fake users, in threads on bootstrapping user-generated sites.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2015–2020HN commenters cite it as evidence for claims that Yelp pressures businesses over advertising, mostly in threads about Yelp's practices.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2016–2024HN uses the Cicret Bracelet as shorthand for vaporware, applied to products like the Humane AI Pin, and praises Captain Disillusion's production values.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2012–2013K Kevin Rose · interviewHN recommends it for Sacca's candid account of going deep into debt and recovering, in threads about failure and financial risk.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2020HN mostly cites it for specific Graham remarks, such as advice to find a paying customer and a recent interview about Viaweb.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2016–2019P pittsburghparks · talkCited as the video version of his essay on making Pittsburgh a startup hub, and as a talk that persuaded at least one commenter to move there.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2010–2015W Will Ambrosini · comedy videoHN posts it as a classic scene whenever threads touch on ideas versus execution or who captures the profit from invention.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2024HN points founders to YC's content like this for practical startup advice on product-market fit.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2025M MIT Video Productions · talkHN cites it as a primary source for Jobs's own views, pulling timestamps on topics like consultants, objects, NeXT's factory and Apple retail.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2012–2014K Kevin Rose · interviewHN pointed people to it for the original interview and Musk's concise take on first-principles thinking.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2022HN cites it as Linus's own explanation of why he invested in Framework and why outside investment suits a hardware company.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2023M MAK - Mudassir Akber Khan · interviewCited in threads about startups, VC and private equity as an insider's description of how VC economics work, though commenters note he is self-serving.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2009–2021Cited for Joel's account of how Stack Overflow's design and community thinking were figured out from the start.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2022T The Futur · lectureRecommended in threads on freelance design pricing and why large corporations pay a lot for branding work.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2022HN cites it for Chamath's claim that venture-backed growth resembles a Ponzi scheme, especially when startups spend heavily on big-tech advertising.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2010–2022R Robert Scoble · interviewLinked as a source for Paul Graham's no-assholes rule and his comments on early YC funding.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2008–2021Z zorak007 · videoMostly used as a cautionary tale about risking everything on a weak idea, with one commenter seeing it as a lesson in determination.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2022C Common Sense Skeptic · commentaryHN mentions it mostly as critical commentary on Musk, with one commenter saying it tempered their view.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2020HN commenters link it as the original talk so people can judge it directly instead of through press retellings.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2016–2024G Greylock · interviewCited as a first-hand source for how Google's leadership thought about hiring, organization and the Alphabet restructuring.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2021M Mercatus Center · interviewHN people point to it as a strong interview and as the source of Thiel's stagnation thesis.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2023Linked in threads about YC culture and big tech burnout, as YC partners themselves acknowledging the trend.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2014–2024Y YC Root Access · lectureHN people point to it as the video version of the essay and cite it for advice on building things with interested people before calling it a startup.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2014–2016J JellyvisionLab · interviewHN points to it as an example of the founders' realistic, down-to-earth approach and their bootstrapped, lifestyle-business philosophy.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2014–2026Mostly cited as damning evidence of Magic Leap's hype and marketing, with commenters calling it delusional or a fraud signal.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2024Posted as a joke or satire whenever a company sells out its users or surveillance comes up.
- cited 8× 0 months 2014–2025HN mines it for WhatsApp facts, such as pricing used to slow growth, a 7-8 person backend team and late hiring of customer service.
- cited 3× 0 months 2017–2020Cited as the definitive engineering takedown of uBeam and as a cautionary example of hype-driven startups.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022T Tesla Owners Silicon Valley · interviewCited as Musk's own account of Tesla's founding and early financial struggles, often in disputes over the company's history.
- cited 20× 0 months 2015–2026Y yate50 · comedy videoHN uses it as a running joke whenever unprofitable startups, funding or valuations come up.
- cited 17× 0 months 2017–2025HN posts it as a joke whenever a real smart toilet, IoT gadget or silly startup idea appears, because reality keeps matching the parody.
- cited 3× 0 months 2021–2025T TheGarage Cloud · comedy videoHN uses it mostly as a joke or to point out that the human heater idea comes from the sitcom.
- cited 3× 0 months 2013–2023U UC Berkeley Haas · lectureHN uses it as a reference for startup advice such as not befriending your VC, linear thinking in valuations, and protecting ideas.
- cited 4× 0 months 2017–2021HN cites it as a warning and a debunking whenever water-from-air or similar crowdfunded gadgets appear.
Showing the 100 best-scored of 585. Use search to find the rest.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.