There is no such thing as "a startup within a big company" on it's face is a tautology, so we can assume the author was not speaking literally. So if he's not

There is no such thing as "a startup within a big company" on it's face is a tautology, so we can assume the author was not speaking literally. So if he's not speaking literally, what does 'startup' mean? Is it characterized by the ownership structure? The maturity of the market? The culture of the team? The flexibility and nimbleness of the management team to pivot and move targets? Since none of this is clear I think its possible that there is some disagreement even with the best intentions on both sides.