I didn't say any of that, in fact I referred to Dan Luu here so that people would get the shorthand (Luu family has written that DS&A coding and whiteboard inte

I didn't say any of that, in fact I referred to Dan Luu here so that people would get the shorthand (Luu family has written that DS&A coding and whiteboard interviews are not predictive). The only reason you're picking this apart is that you're confusing necessary and sufficient conditions as well as confusing sufficing and optimizing. Either way you're not responding to the substantive point: that if you're optimizing for an expectation of regular high income rather than creative freedom, employment (being dependent on one entity) is the path. But if you want creative freedom, a large number of people that like your work a little is better than being beholden to ten business or 1000 devoted big spender fans.