I don't get it, are you suggesting that everything that makes money has to start its life as a startup with a good domain, a "ceo" and a plan? I was a dumb 17 y

I don't get it, are you suggesting that everything that makes money has to start its life as a startup with a good domain, a "ceo" and a plan? I was a dumb 17 year old kid making some fansites for a game I liked and now they make millions of dollars. I'm not saying we were successful because the domain was only $10, I'm saying if the domain would have cost more than I could afford ($500 was the arbitrary figure provided above) then I would never have created the websites, just like many people I know. The company I work for currently owns quite a lot of video game fansites, they're acquired from the creators and the original creators are hired to manage them. From the 50+ websites I see listed in our analytics I can tell you the majority were started as a hobby by one guy/girl but now help support many employees and provide real revenue... people that had a passion for their chosen subject matter and didn't care about making money and as such wouldn't have been able to invest $500+ in it. There is a world outside the hackernews idea of making money online. I started the sites because I liked the game and wanted to provide value to other people, I didn't care about money and I still don't (even if I do live in a nice apartment). The company I work for was started as a hobby and now is a profitable enterprise with big name investors.