As someone who has interviewed and hired quite a few people I disagree. I don't owe a rejected candidate anything. We both knew the arrangement ahead of time and both agreed it was worthwhile. We gave each other an opportunity and both contributed time to the process. We're even.
I don't think this kind of entitlement-thinking will serve you very well. I recommend ditching it.
Not in the sense of owing him an explanation, but in the decent sense of giving him feedback so he can improve.
After all, the candidate took time and trouble - it is a kindness.
An application to YC is unlike an interview; with an interview you usually know what your weakness was, or what the interviewer's hangup was.
If you consider this to be "entitlement-thinking", then does not your thinking seem arrogant?
Actually, your thinking is a sign of weakness.
When the candidate is stronger than you, or your decision was flippant, then you dont want to run the risk of being proven wrong or bested.
So you choose the easy way out.
A rejected YC application is much more like a trivially rejected resume than a rejected candidate who interviewed. Do you think employers have a responsibility to respond to every single resume that they get in the mail with detailed descriptions of where they can improve?
Your complaints sound more like you are sour about being turned down than anything else.
No, it is not.
It is actually more like a Department of Defense, Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) proposal.
Even if you are rejected, you can request feedback on your proposal - and actually, no less than in a meeting.
Whenever I have given a demo or presentation to an angel investor or potential partner; even when it is a 'No', I have gotten some kind of feedback.
It gave me a better understanding of the weaknesses in juwo.
This is more than blindly emailing your executive summary to the VCs - you are not entitled to a reply.
When there is investment in time, effort and hopes, one does expect some kind of feedback.
It is not an application for an award, nor is it an application for employment. Even applying for a University, one has an idea of the cutoff marks and GRE scores.
The YC application is an evaluation of your small business team, and idea.
I would actually like to give feedback, out of friendliness and not because it's owed. Unfortunately, people with your attitude ruin it for the people that actually could handle it in a mature way.
"I don't owe a rejected candidate anything ... I don't think this kind of entitlement-thinking will serve you very well."
I'm not saying you are morally obliged to, I'm saying it's the nice thing to do. For me personally, being nice is part of being courteous, which is why I used the more general word before.
I don't think this kind of entitlement-thinking will serve you very well. I recommend ditching it.