I think the author might be referring to the "big companies [who] are cutting back and letting talent go". There seem to be repeated suggestions that YC alumni

I think the author might be referring to the "big companies [who] are cutting back and letting talent go". There seem to be repeated suggestions that YC alumni will nibble away or topple the Fortune 500's, uh, fortunes. With a lot of these startups creating new markets of their own I'm not sure I necessarily agree with that zero-sumesque view, but I wouldn't be surprised if they cause some interesting disruptions.