> *whether we could, in effect, accept women we would have accepted if they had ...

gingerlime · on Dec 30, 2013

It is a confusing sentence, but I think it's correct. I think it would be clearer if it said "whether we could, in effect, accept women (who are not hackers) we would have accepted if they had been hackers"

The stuff I added in brackets is implied. The main question is accepting women who are not hackers, as if they were, given the (challenged) assumption that you can turn them into hackers in YC.

bambax · on Dec 30, 2013

You may be right but if you are, it means being a hacker is a (necessary) criterium of the YC's approval process: is it?

pdonis · on Dec 30, 2013

is it?

It is if you are seeking funding for a startup based on hacking. The context in the article makes it clear that this condition was implied.