Jessica Livingston

Paul Graham’s essay Jessica Livingston argues that her contributions to Y Combinator have been systematically underrecognized.

Co-founder Equality

YC was not a “one-man show.” Jessica and Graham decided to start it together. They ran operations jointly, with “Jessica and I were a couple” fundamentally shaping the organization’s character.

Culture as Core Product

The family-like atmosphere YC cultivated became its actual product. “At YC, the culture was the product.” Jessica defined this culture, establishing authenticity as central to identifying promising founders.

The “Social Radar”

Jessica possessed exceptional ability to judge character and detect dishonesty. During interviews, while others asked technical questions, they would ultimately defer: “What does the Social Radar say?”

Why Recognition Lagged

• Graham’s visibility as a writer gave YC his name
• Jessica avoided public attention
• Media defaulted to crediting the male founder

My Takeaway

Character assessment built YC’s alumni network—arguably its most valuable feature. Human curation created lasting value.

Who’s the unsung hero at your company? I’d love to hear at persdre@gmail.com.