Two big reasons: 1. Right now the leverage that a small group of talented technical folks have is huge. Much more so than I expect it will be in 10 years, or

Two big reasons: 1. Right now the leverage that a small group of talented technical folks have is huge. Much more so than I expect it will be in 10 years, or it was 10 years ago. I don't want to cede that to the PHBs. 2. A really useful web startup is a way to touch a lot of people's lives, and ideally improve them in some small way. #2 is hugely motivating for me.