If you hire the right people, empower and listen to them they will be the source of feedback you speak about. The problem there seems to have been someone not

If you hire the right people, empower and listen to them they will be the source of feedback you speak about. The problem there seems to have been someone not humble enough to listen to anyone. There's nothing magical about a cofounder. Imagine two guys like your PhD. One of the toughest things to do as an entrepreneur is to let go. It's all too easy to want to own every corner of your business and micromanage it all. And that's the easiest way to torpedo a business. Your job as a founder is to eventually surround yourself with people smarter and more tuned-in than you and hand them control of different aspects of the business. People care and fight for their beliefs when they feel responsible for something. If an entrepreneur creates an "It's my business; My decisions" atmosphere you'll get the kinds of reponses you quoted and nobody will care enough to offer constructive feedback. Companies can be launched and taken to "flight altitude" by experienced solo founders. They generally cannot survive if said founder does not divest responsibility to build a fully functioning organization with smart and dedicated people. It's not easy.