I think it tells us more about the ethical system of the OP's father. There are some people for whom "everything is negotiable". These people will make promises

I think it tells us more about the ethical system of the OP's father. There are some people for whom "everything is negotiable". These people will make promises and then try to renegotiate their price before they deliver, betting that you need them more than they need you. This doesn't always work. Heck, I'm not even sure it even works in a majority of cases. However, when it does work, it can pay off extremely well. Thus, thanks to survivorship and availability biases, it may seem like the majority of startup founders are ethical degenerates, when in reality, it's a minority that happens to be overrepresented in the tiny subgroup of startup founders who become successful enough to become household names.