The chances of becoming financially independent from the sale/IPO of one startup are very low. First of all, most startups fail because they run out of money. I

The chances of becoming financially independent from the sale/IPO of one startup are very low. First of all, most startups fail because they run out of money. If you're trying to work within the traditional VC world, there will be pressure to grow at an insane rate that may or may not be the best thing for your company. The more people you have working for you, the higher your burn rate, and the more beholden you are to the desires of your VCs. If you shoot for a sustainable business instead, you can work for less than 10 years in 1-2 companies you found and be pretty well off. Most people don't get filthy rich from a couple of years of work. Shooting for sustainability gives you a higher chance of success than being forced to grow your company to a size where it'll get your VCs the return they want (or doing so of your own volition). I agree that financial independence is the goal to shoot for, but I think the method the author describes can get there at least as often as the traditional VC route.