At any given time, there are founders in the "sprint-to-buyout" camp and those in a "build to own" camp. In any given year, there are many founders who hold to

At any given time, there are founders in the "sprint-to-buyout" camp and those in a "build to own" camp. In any given year, there are many founders who hold to their principle and those who change their minds. People make choices. Nothing is deterministic. That said, the number of companies founded, run or exited with a buyout win condition mentality is governed by price economics. FB, Google, etc offered a very high price for Android, Instagram, etc. because those M&As were worth a lot to them. Given this, a lot of M&As are going to happen. The interesting question, to me, is "why is the price so high?" It's silly to get all huffy about M&As and ignore the consequences of M&As.