Crowd dynamics is a factor missing from the list. In my opinion, the best time to do a startup is when few others are doing them. I actually think now is rela

Crowd dynamics is a factor missing from the list. In my opinion, the best time to do a startup is when few others are doing them. I actually think now is relatively bad, because pretty much every endeavor has become difficult due to competition: hiring, paying rent (in silicon valley), getting users, getting press, etc etc. I agree that a lot of the grunt work has been streamlined, but I think the outcome is influenced more by resource competition than by operational hurdles (e.g. processing credit cards or allowing users to share with friends). UPDATE: I should admit that, while there have been better (less crowded) periods to start companies in the past, there's no guarantee that we'll ever have less crowded times than now.