There's the rub. A startup cannot be about the money - it's
about changing the world and the way people live.
My reading of the post wasn't that the guy only cared about money - just that a start up operates in the intersection of exciting world changing technology and commercially viable technology.
And the guy's exciting world-changing ideas weren't his commercially viable ideas.
More the opposite - I care about money only to the extent that it allows me to stay out of trouble. I don't want to be a millionaire, I'd just like $5M sitting in a bank account at 5% so I don't ever have to think about money again.
The technologies/products I was exploring - while awesome, some verifiably so according to the customers we spoke with - weren't likely to lead to profitable businesses. I had to learn the difference between a good idea and a good business model. This is a valuable lesson for any entrepreneur.
As something to play around with as a hobby or technology demo they're still great ideas, but as businesses they're not viable (and in one case, perhaps just not yet.)
Ah, I definitely read that wrong. That's a whole different dilemma if the issue is, "I love this technology but it's more than the market will bear." So will you go back to your old job? I know you have a runway for a while should you choose to use it...
And the guy's exciting world-changing ideas weren't his commercially viable ideas.