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This should be titled one-founder startups. Spoiler: #1 is Amazon.

• api 12y ago
  That's almost comical to think about... a one-person startup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOXpKUu6pUg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOXpKUu6pUg There are some that grow to large sizes with a pretty small number of employees though.
  • bdcravens 12y ago
    One-person startup is doable - moderate SaaS app that generates decent revenue. However, infographics like this are obviously saying that startup=beeeeellleeeon dollar companies
• jasode 12y ago
  I understand the article's criteria for "one person" but I think it's worth it to add some nuance to that list... Amazon was "one person" as in boundaries defined by legal ownership of a business entity, but it was really kicked off by hiring Shel Kaphan to engineer their first web store. If Jeff Bezos was more inclusive, and/or Shel Kaphan was more business-savvy, he arguably might have been a co-founder instead of a forgotten employee (albeit a wealthy ex-employee.) If we rule out situations like amazon, and listed only companies that were truly "built" by one person until it reached critical mass, that would be a much more interesting list.
  • api 12y ago
    I'd be really curious to see that too, especially if it remained one person until revenue hit some kind of critical mass. One person builds, ships, markets, ... It's certainly possible but obviously very hard for many reasons.