Well, the question is posed by a powerful VC to a "prospective employee". This is the equivalent of "what do you want to do when you grow up, Timmy?". Also bea

Well, the question is posed by a powerful VC to a "prospective employee". This is the equivalent of "what do you want to do when you grow up, Timmy?". Also bear in mind that the post was written in 2009. My feeling is that startups have lost a lot of allure since then and are now increasingly viewed as sweatshops where grunts work for illusory payout whereas a job at megacorp with great pay and low stress is considered a sane choice.