YC just published 7 startup ideas they want to fund.

Two patterns jump out:

1/ First: AI is shifting from "assistant" to "operator." Not tools that help humans work faster but tools that do the work. The hedge fund thesis is pretty telling, where swarms of agents doing what analysts do now. Same with agencies: deliver the finished ad instead of billable hours.

2/ Second: reindustrialization. American metal mills have 30-week lead times and field workers need years of training. These are "software eating the physical world" problems.