> Substantially nobody starts a startup with the idea that they will get bought out by $NAME_AN_ACQUIRER. This is a sucky and very stressful way to buy yourself a job interview at the cost of two years of your life.
True. Generally the hope isn't to get a job but a payout big enough to retire immediately, which is why I said "and/or a truckload of cash." Ideally, merely getting hired is a consolation prize for the employees, not the founder.
And I disagree that "substantially nobody" does this. "Build a service, sell it to Google, retire at 25" is an actual business plan that I've seen people propose more than once. It's true that they're probably not trying to make something unsustainable that Google/etc will kill on acquisition, but they're also not trying to make something that will stand the test of time. Once they've got their payout, they don't care what happens.
True. Generally the hope isn't to get a job but a payout big enough to retire immediately, which is why I said "and/or a truckload of cash." Ideally, merely getting hired is a consolation prize for the employees, not the founder.
And I disagree that "substantially nobody" does this. "Build a service, sell it to Google, retire at 25" is an actual business plan that I've seen people propose more than once. It's true that they're probably not trying to make something unsustainable that Google/etc will kill on acquisition, but they're also not trying to make something that will stand the test of time. Once they've got their payout, they don't care what happens.