Yes, very true. I'm one of those you're talking about. I'm a lone founder, coder, sales team, accountant... I do it all. Alone. And it gets very very depressing even when you're kicking ass and taking names it can get depressing. I have little to no social life, my girlfriend couldn't handle my new lifestyle and left me and no amount of success is enough. It's draining. I'm not antisocial. I'm attractive, outgoing, and well liked but the job becomes you and there are sacrifices. I'm even on the board of a charity organization but that interaction isn't enough (everyone else is much older than me on that board).
So you're right, man. Even when things are looking up it can sneak up on you. I can only imagine what this poor guy went through. He set out to raise $10,000 and exceeded it by far in under 2 weeks, gets thrown into the startup spotlight, the pressure gets intense, and all the while he probably had the mindset of someone doing something much smaller. Not to assume what his thoughts were but it seems like he was just trying to something small and cool and it grew far larger than anyone had anticipated so fast that wasn't enough time to adjust and them that depression snuck in there and now he's gone.
It's so sad. I wonder if the lightning fast growth of Diaspora had anything to do with it. I wonder what effect being in the spotlight can have on someone unprepared for it.
I sympathize with you. I work on my own 99% of the time and it's a very tough experience. It's the sacrifice one makes for 'the dream'
I'm sometimes jealous of the stories about Mark Zuckerberg and Kevin Rose because at least they had a girlfriend to stick around while they were going through the motions. Loneliness is a killer and I don't think friends/family could possibly understand how difficult it is. Even when you describe it they just shake their heads
I also agree with your assessment as it's something I've reiterated. I think it's possible that if Diaspora never got as much media coverage (and built up expectations), this wouldn't have happened. It may have exploded when it was in beta (or not), but the potential disappointment wouldn't have been as large. It's easy to step back and redefine success but in his shoes, I could imagine myself having very grand visions of what Diaspora could be (as also fostered by the coverage) and being crushed when it's not realized.
So you're right, man. Even when things are looking up it can sneak up on you. I can only imagine what this poor guy went through. He set out to raise $10,000 and exceeded it by far in under 2 weeks, gets thrown into the startup spotlight, the pressure gets intense, and all the while he probably had the mindset of someone doing something much smaller. Not to assume what his thoughts were but it seems like he was just trying to something small and cool and it grew far larger than anyone had anticipated so fast that wasn't enough time to adjust and them that depression snuck in there and now he's gone.
It's so sad. I wonder if the lightning fast growth of Diaspora had anything to do with it. I wonder what effect being in the spotlight can have on someone unprepared for it.