> I think the HN algo is pretty easily manipulated. I worked at a startup that had an effective process to get things to the front page

That sounds (potentially) sleazy. If you think it's a technique that HN could potentially defend against, I encourage you to explain it to hn@ycombinator.com.

> That sounds (potentially) sleazy.

Pretty sure it's as simple as posting in your general slack channel "@here we posted a new article to HN, go upvote and write a comment"

Maybe it's a YC startup.

AFAIK YC startups don't get any more boost on the front page than normal posts.