I'm tired of the useless back and forth over whether "design is horseshit." That's not only a falsehood, it's a simplistic falsehood. Reducing the work of somet

I'm tired of the useless back and forth over whether "design is horseshit." That's not only a falsehood, it's a simplistic falsehood. Reducing the work of something as broad and universal as "design" to "laying on the pretty" is definitely a one-two punch of reductio ab absurdum and strawman. And yongfook is smarter than that. But. I believe only one of the companies on this list is profitable, maybe two. And there's no way Behance produces billions of dollars of "value" all by itself, even with the potential of help from Pulse or Slideshare (MAYBE). That has nothing to do with the fact that they prioritized design. That has nothing to do with the fact that they are led by designers. It has everything to do with VC-driven startup culture which believes getting funding and getting bought is the way to go, rather than self-funding and creating a sustainable, profitable business. It has everything to do with the idea that you DESERVE money NOW, for what you MAY do or MAY achieve in the future. And the belief that you WILL do or WILL achieve whatever you imagine, because your internal, imagined narrative is just like The Kung Fu Kid, complete with montage. If you make the bestest location checkin app people will flock to you! Cue riches! But no. You end up bought because you can't sustain yourself. It also has to do with the absolutely crippling belief that there can be free money with no strings. Startups are rarely bought because they are profitable and sustainable, they are bought for a million other reasons. And getting sold or going on IPO is the only way for 99% of VCs to get their payday, so once you accept VC, that is the track you are on. Value is quantum: it only happens when you have a customer. Value is something you create for the customer, which they are willing to pay you for. If your customers won't pay for your services, that's the #1 sign that you don't, in fact, create value. Or if they will not pay you enough to cover your costs, ditto. Most startups sadly put themselves in the position of having only one true customer -- the company that buys them.