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We should take back the word 'startup' from people who want to make us think it is reserved for something that involves a business plan and raising money. If s

by TekMol 8y ago

We should take back the word 'startup' from people who want to make us think it is reserved for something that involves a business plan and raising money. If someone starts something, I call it startup.

warent 8y ago
Except that words need to mean something, otherwise anyone can arbitrarily decide what they mean at their own convenience like what's happening now.
- adventured 8y ago
  That's of course not just happening now, it has always been a problem with the term. There has never been wide industry agreement as to what it means, going back decades. That's how you end up with the media referring to 10 year old type companies that have thousands of employees as start-ups. I don't think a definition for it is going to get narrowed now, it will probably always be a broad/loose term.
- Fomite 8y ago
  Having been interested in business since before the dot-com book, I've seen "Startup" transform from "New business, dealing with new business problems" to the very SV-driven notion that it's a new business expressly designed to scale quickly. Words might need to mean something, but there's already been a lot of drift here.
- grey-area 8y ago
  The meaning of words has always been a negotiation.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
EpicEng 8y ago
Hey everyone, come invest in my new startup called "doing the dishes." Launching in about five minutes.
- lifeisstillgood 8y ago
  If I can pay you to come to my house and do my dishes, yeah it's a startup. If I don't pay you, but you still come round when I ask, it's still a startup, but with a freemium price point. If I don't pay and you don't turn up when I want, but you still are washing someone's dishes, it's a side project. If you don't come and do my dishes, it's a pivot.
shafyy 8y ago
I agree that the term "startup" is not strictly defined. But often the nuances are "can we only call a quickly growing company a startup" (a la Paul Graham) or "can we call any young company a startup". What the definitions agree on is that a startup is company, a business. Making a business involves a lot more than creating a product and is a much more complex undertaking.
bobjordan 8y ago
In trying to “take back the word startup” and redefine it to fit your own preferred meaning. I expect you will find, most on HN will take a more conservative position in it’s definition.

by TekMol 8y ago

warent 8y ago

Except that words need to mean something, otherwise anyone can arbitrarily decide what they mean at their own convenience like what's happening now.

adventured 8y ago
That's of course not just happening now, it has always been a problem with the term. There has never been wide industry agreement as to what it means, going back decades. That's how you end up with the media referring to 10 year old type companies that have thousands of employees as start-ups. I don't think a definition for it is going to get narrowed now, it will probably always be a broad/loose term.
Fomite 8y ago
Having been interested in business since before the dot-com book, I've seen "Startup" transform from "New business, dealing with new business problems" to the very SV-driven notion that it's a new business expressly designed to scale quickly. Words might need to mean something, but there's already been a lot of drift here.
grey-area 8y ago
The meaning of words has always been a negotiation.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

EpicEng 8y ago

Hey everyone, come invest in my new startup called "doing the dishes." Launching in about five minutes.

lifeisstillgood 8y ago
If I can pay you to come to my house and do my dishes, yeah it's a startup. If I don't pay you, but you still come round when I ask, it's still a startup, but with a freemium price point. If I don't pay and you don't turn up when I want, but you still are washing someone's dishes, it's a side project. If you don't come and do my dishes, it's a pivot.

shafyy 8y ago

I agree that the term "startup" is not strictly defined. But often the nuances are "can we only call a quickly growing company a startup" (a la Paul Graham) or "can we call any young company a startup". What the definitions agree on is that a startup is company, a business. Making a business involves a lot more than creating a product and is a much more complex undertaking.

bobjordan 8y ago

In trying to “take back the word startup” and redefine it to fit your own preferred meaning. I expect you will find, most on HN will take a more conservative position in it’s definition.