I'm going to assume you're relatively new to startups, because this didn't always used to be the case. Founders 40, 30, even 10 years ago had much less leverage

I'm going to assume you're relatively new to startups, because this didn't always used to be the case. Founders 40, 30, even 10 years ago had much less leverage in that today it's so comparatively cheap to launch an app that can quickly get millions of users. Back then, even to think about launching an app you needed a server. The capital that founders needed came with investors who had all the leverage and board control. It's only recently that you could literally start accepting dollars from paying users without actually paying anything (servers, money integration, etc all free). That means founders have more leverage, which in turn means for the first time founders are getting more of a say in the trajectory of the company. Basically, your feelings are following recent developments, but it's unusual that this is the case. In other words, you are the long tail that previously never got a seat at the table. But, there are still going to be founders already at the table chasing the big bets. Of course, you are also discounting the value of having investors that prioritize growth. In most cases, all companies somewhat converge when it comes to what that start up needs to do to survive and succeed: grow.