I think what you're really talking about is commitment. Personally, I find I can "stick with it" and persevere much more easily if I'm committed to something. M

I think what you're really talking about is commitment. Personally, I find I can "stick with it" and persevere much more easily if I'm committed to something. Maybe those startups in Ycombinator that give up are not totally committed. When things start to get tough, maybe they begin looking for other options. If there were no other options, their commitment would be stronger. The so-called "burning the boats" strategy. I think that's why it's so hard to do a startup in your spare time, while holding down a full-time job. It's not really a commitment and that makes it so much easier to give up.