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db0 @lemmy.dbzer0.com

5mo ago

Y Combinator is being criticized after it backed an AI startup that admits it basically cloned another AI startup | TechCrunch

techcrunch.com Y Combinator is being criticized after it backed an AI startup that admits it basically cloned another AI startup | TechCrunch

A Y Combinator startup named PearAI launched with a tweet thread and YouTube video on Saturday and caused an immediate backlash.

Y Combinator is being criticized after it backed an AI startup that admits it basically cloned another AI startup | TechCrunch

14 comments

[He cloned] another AI editor ... covered under the Apache open source license [and] slapped its own made-up closed license ... which Pan admitted was written by ChatGPT.
Who gives a shit, rigth?
- Apache explicitly allows this. I don't get why OSI bros are endlessly surprised by this.
  
  They apparently copied without attribution in a manner that was a violation? I'm still looking for precise wording of the PEL.
  It's very hard to violate the Apache license, but these are the sort of bozos who could manage it.
  EDIT: Here is the PEL. It lacks the attribution requirements of section 4 of the Apache Licence 2.0. So yeah, they managed it.
  This is a small technical violation that's easily remedied, but I understand that's what got people pissed off.
  
  I'm a little bit in the camp of 'it might be legal, but that doesn't mean it is ok'. So I get why people are annoyed. Also copying a whole project and then slamming a different license on it and going 'jobs done' very much fits the promptfondler vibe, so im not mad, more of a 'lol, of course they did' thing. But that is me.
  
  Yeah, pretty bad coverage of that by the article.
  Apache isn't GPL, and it isn't an oversight that it allows closed source derivative works.
- The way he admitted it was hilarious too

The license stuff is whatever, but Imagine seeing this sort of sloppiness in the revision history and thinking "Yeah these guys seem legit let's give them a million dollars!" We are in such a bubble.
- That's amazing. Do you think they crtl-f'd the name changes or ChatGPT'd them?
  
  founder mode, mate

That startup founder. Is he okay?
- He’s alright but his clone is taking this personally.

pivot to AI here
turns out Continue was less than happy with their own backer YC paying another company to take credit for their work

14 comments