Then again, as the OP has stated, some of the most disruptive technologies (such as Google and the iPod) did not set out to be disruptive. Their disruptiveness

Then again, as the OP has stated, some of the most disruptive technologies (such as Google and the iPod) did not set out to be disruptive. Their disruptiveness was merely a side effect of executing really well on incremental improvement. As for having changing the world as a goal, no disrespect intended to the Reddit guys, but it hasn't disrupted or changed the world of anyone I know who isn't in tech. By way of comparison, Hacker News itself has changed my world way more than Reddit. Going off on a tangent, how often do people really want the world changed? Every time, or even one percent of the time, an ambitious startup is founded seems a tad excessive to me.