I've always seen the job of "startup founder" sold as: get investment, get big, get bought, then retire in luxury. This idea that startup founders want to work

I've always seen the job of "startup founder" sold as: get investment, get big, get bought, then retire in luxury. This idea that startup founders want to work very hard for a short period of time then retire (or do something else) is an alternate explanation of why startups tend to die after they get bought. The people who made the companies worth buying moved on. (of course, this doesn't explain why some companies that get bought and do poorly end up doing better after they are spun off again.)