Michael Seibel announced late Wednesday on the social media platform X that he is stepping into a “partner emeritus” position after spending more than 12 years at the renowned accelerator Y Combinator.
Y Combinator’s CEO, Garry Tan, confirmed the development in a separate company blog post, where he reflected on Seibel’s extensive involvement with Y Combinator. Seibel initially joined the organization as a founder, participating in the program twice with the ventures Justin.TV and Socialcam, both of which were streaming startups. He went on to serve various roles including group partner, managing director, and CEO of the Y Combinator accelerator.
Previously, Seibel had already transitioned to a less operational position as a group partner. In a Y Combinator blog post from the previous year, he indicated his readiness to “hand over my leadership responsibilities,” noting that the transition would take effect following the completion of the accelerator’s winter cohort.
Seibel’s long tenure of over a decade might have encountered a turning point in 2022 when Garry Tan assumed the roles of President and CEO. This change reportedly caught some Y Combinator staff off guard, partly due to Tan’s concurrent management of an independent venture fund, and because some believed Seibel to be the anticipated successor for the CEO position.
Efforts have been made to contact Seibel for additional comments. Meanwhile, in his post on X, Seibel expressed his plans to take the summer to relax before focusing on initiatives aimed at enhancing government services for citizens. He conveyed his enthusiasm for reengaging with government, which he described as “the passion of my youth.” He concluded by expressing gratitude to Y Combinator’s founders, Paul Graham and Jessica Livingston, for their transformative impact on his life.
This announcement comes approximately two weeks ahead of Y Combinator’s new batch of founders starting their program, which is scheduled to run from April through June.
