Garry, it might be an exaggerated premise, but how is it an absurd straw man? Every demo day (YC or otherwise) has a large number of startups claiming these hig

Garry, it might be an exaggerated premise, but how is it an absurd straw man? Every demo day (YC or otherwise) has a large number of startups claiming these high growth rates. What percentage work out, even one year out from demo day? Maybe you can say that the high growth rates from small numbers aren't long-term predictors, but isn't that just what the article is saying? That's what I read. It's obvious that, as you say, growth is "table stakes" for a good startup. But it's also true that competitive metrics are gamed, and that many startups claiming these numbers are, in fact, gaming their metrics. Does this make a difference? Probably not to good investors. But it does change herd dynamics, and makes it harder for teams that are unwilling to do bad things in the name of short-term growth.