4 ms·

Yeah, the idea of creating an environment that only favors young, privileged, unattached folks has always been pretty off-putting for me. Larger checks certain

Yeah, the idea of creating an environment that only favors young, privileged, unattached folks has always been pretty off-putting for me. Larger checks certainly attract the 'free sabbatical' folks that the author seems to dislike so much, but it also enables entire classes of potential founders to have access to capital that enables them to focus on their business rather than their kids' stomachs.

jasonwatkinspdx 6y ago
It's why we've had a glut of startups doing lifestyle products that appeal to mid/late 20's bros with lots of disposable income. These... haven't been great startups as a generalization.
peterwoerner 6y ago
Counterpoint. As a father of a baby, I have significantly less energy and time for work. With starting a company you tend to have to plow a ton of hours and energy into the endeavor, especially if you want to move at bottleneck speed. With the baby there are many weeks where I have a difficulty working a mere 40 hours. That being said, I have significantly more insight (due to experience) than I did when I was more free and willing to work 60+ hours a week and was willing to live off of 20k a year.
- hkt 6y ago
  As a father of a 4 year old I don't think it is my job (or yours) to vet who gets the help they need when they decide they need it. You may not have felt you had the time and ability to commit, but why should you be able to speak for anyone but yourself?
  - peterwoerner 6y ago
    Very valid.
- kaitai 6y ago
  But that's the thing -- most successful businesses (as opposed to youthful adventures that paint one as 'innovative' on a resume) are started by older founders who have a depth of experience in their field. As parent of a 3-yr old, babyhood goes fast. You'll be sleeping & able to put in extra hours, if you wish, at some point. You'll also notice that your patience for bullshit has decreased, your patience with actual important shit has increased, and by the time the kids in their teens you might be ready to be a founder who doesn't do the hustle-grind-performative-dance and actually... creates a business.
  - peterwoerner 6y ago
    Super valid point.

jasonwatkinspdx 6y ago

It's why we've had a glut of startups doing lifestyle products that appeal to mid/late 20's bros with lots of disposable income. These... haven't been great startups as a generalization.

peterwoerner 6y ago

Counterpoint. As a father of a baby, I have significantly less energy and time for work. With starting a company you tend to have to plow a ton of hours and energy into the endeavor, especially if you want to move at bottleneck speed. With the baby there are many weeks where I have a difficulty working a mere 40 hours. That being said, I have significantly more insight (due to experience) than I did when I was more free and willing to work 60+ hours a week and was willing to live off of 20k a year.

hkt 6y ago
As a father of a 4 year old I don't think it is my job (or yours) to vet who gets the help they need when they decide they need it. You may not have felt you had the time and ability to commit, but why should you be able to speak for anyone but yourself?
- peterwoerner 6y ago
  Very valid.
kaitai 6y ago
But that's the thing -- most successful businesses (as opposed to youthful adventures that paint one as 'innovative' on a resume) are started by older founders who have a depth of experience in their field. As parent of a 3-yr old, babyhood goes fast. You'll be sleeping & able to put in extra hours, if you wish, at some point. You'll also notice that your patience for bullshit has decreased, your patience with actual important shit has increased, and by the time the kids in their teens you might be ready to be a founder who doesn't do the hustle-grind-performative-dance and actually... creates a business.
- peterwoerner 6y ago
  Super valid point.