IMO, the bigger issue is that many people don't know what a startup is. Yet, as a culture we glorify a "startup." Everyone wants to work for one, even though th

IMO, the bigger issue is that many people don't know what a startup is. Yet, as a culture we glorify a "startup." Everyone wants to work for one, even though they don't really know the clear line between a startup and an exit. I remember seeing billboards in Silicon Valley. They were from AOL, trying to recruit. They said, "You're the startup, we're the VC." At the time, AOL had no defining characteristic that made it appear like a startup, even for people who don't fully understand what a startup is. Another time, I was in a post-acquisition "startup." I recognized the situation and focused on the area with clear product-market fit. The "CEO" tried to continue to find new product-market fits and blew through our R&D budget. (The R&D budget was supposed to improve the existing product, not find new ones.) When the situation came to a head, only people who worked on the clear product-market fit area remained. (Everyone who behaved like we were a "startup" was let go.)