I personally don't believe, at least at the founder/executive level, that this is a standard that has been set. Rather, there is a degree of self-organization h

I personally don't believe, at least at the founder/executive level, that this is a standard that has been set. Rather, there is a degree of self-organization here. Individuals are making decisions that they believe will help them compete better. I doubt there is a practical route toward lessening this effect, short of detonating the whole concept of the startup and possibly the entire economic system. There is zero chance that you're going to convince individual founders to take steps that they believe will make them less competitive in the name of "ethics." Personally I don't find it romantic at all, and therefore I am not a startup founder. I love my 9-5.