The broader thing I've realized of late is that so many startups exist simply because they are building something that appeals to VCs, not something that necess

The broader thing I've realized of late is that so many startups exist simply because they are building something that appeals to VCs, not something that necessarily appeals to any sort of customer. So we have reason to be skeptical of any claim to wisdom from VCs and even any claim to understand relevant metrics or KPIs. Good VCs are humble about this, but others posture behind it. What we should really be wondering is how many bad decisions are made by startups based on pressure from VCs. Since average (non-accredited) investors are prohibited by law from investing in early stage startups, those who are not prohibited get a highly leveraged game which some are bound to play successfully several turns in a row. There is nothing wrong with this, but it's sad to see promising startups make bad decisions because they are simply striving for rapid growth at all cost.