I'll be a little bit more cynical than you, and give you my opinion. In the movie industry[1], just like with the start-up industry, we see these types of behav

I'll be a little bit more cynical than you, and give you my opinion. In the movie industry[1], just like with the start-up industry, we see these types of behaviors pop up when the company or the art stops being the object of the creators affections, but instead it's the money or power. It's the "MBA" attitude that gets railed against on HN, where the only reason these people participate is to cash out, or in some cases with people who are already rich, they want to feel like they're important. Now, these people are plenty smart. They usually have gotten great educations and whatnot, but they lack the drive to be motivated by a love of doing this great thing, rather than accumulating some money. Some of the greatest creations in tech were not motivated by money at all. When a great film maker goes to bed or on vacation, he's sometimes kept awake with ideas on how to make a better film or pondering a new concept. He takes no real vacations, because he loves his art so much that he never even wants to escape it. The money-driven type doesn't. When they go on vacation, they escape. And professionally, they tend take the easiest path to their destination. And the easiest path to cashing out is to look at how other people became successful, and make a small deviation from their path then copy or exploit rent seeking advantages or be unethical. I think that's where all these portmancos come from. It's really really easy to look at existing business models, and come up with a way to blend them into new company. [1] I'll assume everything you just told me is correct