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There's a certain amount of irony in startup founders who claim they relish the challenge of starting their own business and then turn around and complain about
by minimax 13y ago
There's a certain amount of irony in startup founders who claim they relish the challenge of starting their own business and then turn around and complain about how challenging it is. Is it supposed to be hard or isn't it?
- crusso 13y agoThere are exciting technology challenges and then there are the painfully frustrating contrived challenges from established forces. If startup founders were just looking for anything that could be called a challenge, they could poke their own eyes out and go mountain climbing.
- ForHackernews 13y agoI assume startup founders are like most people: we love to claim credit for what hardcore badasses we are, but we'd prefer it to not actually be hard, thanks.
- surreal 13y agoThere are challenges, and there are avoidable challenges. If a given challenge (e.g., for this author, being in London) can be avoided then the right thing to do is to avoid it. I'm sure there will be more than enough challenges left for him to relish.
- jotm 13y agoWhy the downvote(s)? He's technically right, startups in London are more of a challenge than in SV... If you can avoid it, why not?
- mbesto 13y agoI totally agree and it's the reason I stuck it out for so long. But even someone who is as motivated as I am, I'm modest enough to know that even I need help.
- VLM 13y agoThe tech people created a startup hub in a hemispherical market leader in finance, but forgot to tell the finance people about it and/or the finance people don't find them interesting. Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. It boils down to no one will give the founders money. Lots of talk about a startup hub location needs people, schools, devs, entrepreneurs, out of control rents, coffee shops or whatever, but if you copy everything about SV other than the VCs, don't get too surprised there are no VCs there.
- elag 13y agoWhat if the finance people in this hypothetical country didn't find it interesting because their research showed them it was a poor investment and that investors in the other hemisphere were often just billionaires playing in semi-retirement?
- beat 13y agoHe's not complaining about how challenging starting a business is. He's complaining about how London is not actually a good environment to start it in. And he did something about it - he packed his bags and headed for the healthier environment of Silicon Valley. He did what's good for him and his business. The problem isn't him, it's London. If it's so unhelpful to good founders that they feel a need to pack up and leave, then London has a cultural problem.
- lotsofcows 13y agoFounders? Plural? You're making it sound like an epidemic rather than one person getting in a tizzy.