On his two large pivots - turning Justin.tv into Twitch, and then spinning off Socialcam in time to be there with Vine - Mr. Kan has clearly shown that he can be in the right place at the right time. As with having the foresight to sell Exec, an interesting, but troubled space from the get go (as you can see from their internal moves from Exec'ing anything to the more profitable cleaning). I really believe that people who work 'in the trenches' amid both failures and successes, have a lot more to teach than those that win straight out.

I went to a Paul Haggis speech where he said that when asked how to become a successful film maker, his response was 'Make a movie and have it win the Oscar for best picture - that's how you become successful.' So true, and yet so false. I'd rather have people who fought and struggled give me advice - and so I think Mr. Kan is a great choice, probably the best choice in that realm.

Besides, it appears to some extent that YC is bringing him on siloed in his marketing prowess. PG seems continually impressed that Mr. Kan self broadcast for as long as he did. It's not the first time I've heard PG mention it, but it's not what Mr. Kan is best at. He's best at seeing the angles in the game. Like I said, he's a play maker. My only concern would be that he would push too many pivots on young, unproven companies. But we all have biases that need to addressed, in our actions and in our advice.

Myself, I take too many long bets, and would probably encourage others to do so as well.