I don't think your comparison makes sense. When Amazon was at the stage Dropbox is at now investors were taking a risk I thought was insane. That risk paid off,

I don't think your comparison makes sense. When Amazon was at the stage Dropbox is at now investors were taking a risk I thought was insane. That risk paid off, but there are countless examples that didn't. Amazon now practically owns their space and has inexplicable license from the market to reinvest in infrastructure or outright avoid profit. Few other companies are in this position, so comparing valuations of Amazon and Dropbox is assuming many things I wouldn't agree to. My point was about why people get cynical about a company that is actively making money but are more lenient on ones that aren't. When profit is an uninteresting point in the discussion, it tends to not be discussed.