Well, considering your username, I'm sure you may end up in those Kafkaesque situations more than usual... But, seriously: This nightmare is one of the stories

Well, considering your username, I'm sure you may end up in those Kafkaesque situations more than usual... But, seriously: This nightmare is one of the stories we tell each other. But, for most companies, it's just not true. I've started four or five companies. Mostly software, one that sells actual (government-certified organic) food, one that mostly worked for governments (including the defense sector). In all that time, I've never felt like regulation prevented me from doing anything. Once or twice, I had to submit some form that I thought was overkill. But in fact I doubt there was ever a year where I spend more than two or three days net on government bureaucracy. I know that the situation may be different for construction or airplane startups (at least I hope it is). But this sort of hyperbole is just a lie that doesn't improve by repetition. If anything, I've been surprised by how little regulation there sometimes is. Look at AirBnB or Uber or drones: Who would've though that you could (for a time) fly a model airplane in Heathrow's final approach corridor and only get a "we're looking into it and engaging in a dialog with all interested parties" as a reply?