>I want to know: Why the hype? "Startups" in the context of HackerNews and crew are glorified small businesses. There is a lot of buzzy words that make the pe

>I want to know: Why the hype? "Startups" in the context of HackerNews and crew are glorified small businesses. There is a lot of buzzy words that make the people here feel special, but it's nothing new. Individuals have been working long days, risking their homes and succeeding or failing at small businesses since the discovery of trade. You want to be your own boss? You start a company. Maybe you pay the mortgage, maybe you fail, maybe you strike it rich. You enjoy working 9-5 and taking two weeks vacation a year? Then be happy working for someone else. I think the fact that it's easy to form a community of software developers compared to a community of masons has created a feedback loop of feeling special. A widget in my browser is no more special than a widget I spread cream cheese on. It's all small business until they strike it big and maybe become Dunkin Donuts or Facebook. Edit: I just realized how great a choice masons was for an example, but for the wrong reason. HackerNews is an echo chamber for software small businesses. Masons and other craftsmen didn't have the internet and they formed their own guilds which served the exact same purpose.