
Don't start a tech product startup - data37
https://medium.com/@vr6/dont-start-a-tech-product-company-25300bb0c6d5#.l162kjpvx
======
endswapper
Don't listen to this.

If we follow this author's lead then AI will turn on us and that will be the
end.

This is garbage: "Not only your new technologies, but your cool new ideas are
also probably very short-lived. Sure, you might have millions of users
already, and even CNN is discussing your innovation. But in 5 years from now,
I doubt if someone still remembers you. Do you remember which were most
popular apps 5 years back?"

New ideas, even the ones that go away in five years move us forward.

I say collaborate, produce voluminous tech products, increase the range of
options, perspectives and opportunity in any discipline, tech, whatever.

If you focus on the money, fame, or don't value that which you are passionate
about you are missing the real secret in life. Fulfillment is found in
serving, in being of value to others. I think it's why Hacker News exists.
Yes, there are benefits that go along with it, but the reasons to do it and
maintain it is passion and the fulfillment of being of value to others. Pardon
if this sounds too preachy or self-righteous. I will post a public apology if
an HN founder explains it was profit motivated.

~~~
data37
You think YC Combinator is not motivated by money or fame? Then what is it?
What drives it? Desire for anonymous charity?

The point of that blog was to give a down-to-earth assessment of life's
choices and guidance on gambling on those choices. Do you know how big is the
percentage of youngsters slogging in those exciting startups due to lack of
access to truths and guidance? Do you still believe the work-life in these
startups is the life to dream of?

We are talking about an average and most common startups which keep trumpeting
forever to its employees about the bright future just around the corner. Not
the already-successful ones.

~~~
endswapper
First, it is funny that you mention anonymous charity in the first line of
your post because I think they provide a vehicle for that - Watsi.org. By the
way, Watsi is by far my favorite startup to come out of YC. Go Watsi!

Next, my point was about Hacker News and not Y Combinator. But let's say the
two are indivisible, I don't need to nit-pick.

I absolutely believe there are a variety of motivations for YC (personally,
I'd love to hear all of them).

I don't think that was a "down-to-earth assessment," and I don't think that
was the point. The point, to me, seemed to be to discourage malleable minds.
People that may be at the edge in terms of powering through to the next stage
with their idea, startup, etc. I see no value in this discouragement.

This isn't much better, but at least at can be cast as a dose of reality:
[https://medium.com/@subes01/this-is-your-life-in-silicon-
val...](https://medium.com/@subes01/this-is-your-life-in-silicon-
valley-933091235095#.pu3t33m7e)

The author of the piece that I commented on originally seemed to be saying,
"Get in line automoton." I reject that. I don't think it represents reality
and I don't think it is useful.

Besides the slogging away is what makes you a fully formed person instead of
an entitled child.

I have worked at numerous startups of all different sorts and in different
capacities. It is precisely that experience, that slogging away that has given
me a human perspective on work-life balance.

