The ads are already happening all over HN. Don't you see the jobs posting for YC companies?
Remember that YC is an investment company. They certainly made billions of dollars through the companies they funded, that were in part thanks to HN.
Every time you send a direct job application to a HN company, that's 20% of your yearly salary staying in the company instead of going to recruiter fees. That's the hell of a revenue per click.
Yes, they've always been there since the beginning of HN that's in large part why nobody cares. I am talking about the kind of advertising for random crap that turns up on other websites, HN doesn't need to do that because frankly HN isn't that big (compared to reddit) and has deep pockets.
Remember that YC is an investment company. They certainly made billions of dollars through the companies they funded, that were in part thanks to HN.
Every time you send a direct job application to a HN company, that's 20% of your yearly salary staying in the company instead of going to recruiter fees. That's the hell of a revenue per click.