more mainstream publicity should be a good thing. it's not a cult, and it's not like only the "anointed ones" with the "right stuff" should know about YC. spreading the startup "message" -- that you can start your own company, instead of slaving away at a BigCo -- should be a good thing, so i'm a bit confused as to where your animosity comes from.
I remember that Marc Andreessen was on the cover of Time or Newsweek back in 1996. The internet was starting to take off, and a bunch of really young guys became instant millionaires thanks to mega-hyped IPOs. Seriosly, does one need publicity more mainstream than this? Everyone knows Gates, Ellison, Andreessen, etc.
Everyone can dream of starting a company, few can do it. I lost the count of how many smart guys I met who talked about big ideas and "thinking outside the box" (whatever that is), and being entrepreneurial and how taking risks was sooo cool... only to join a safe, cushy job at a management consulting firm as soon as they graduated. They may have the smarts, but they could not face the constant emotional terror of running a startup. Dreaming and talking is the easy part. The difficult part is to walk the walk, the commitment and persevering on the face of hardships. Some will succeed, most will fail.
I am sorry if I sound bitter. I have worked at a couple of startups which failed. You know... you think you can beat the odds, but the odds end up beating you. I get upset when I see these young kids thinking that the startup world is a "movement" and that there's preaching to be done. I used to be exactly like that, and it's a waste of time. The startup world is brutal. There's a tiny chance you will succeed, and a huge chance you'll grow old, bitter and burnt-out. Pick your battles carefully. Sometimes your dreams cost you too much.
fair enough. but in my book, success or failure, quality of life is so much higher at a startup (whether your own or not) than at a BigCo that if you're qualified, i'm honestly not sure why you wouldn't.
sure, there are perhaps only so many years of your life that you can live on "ramen noodles", but even after that, working at a funded, 20-50 person company sure beats the alternatives, and you still get to be involved in the "creation" part, even if you didn't start it.
to each his own, i suppose. after a bunch of bad experiences, i can understand how you'd be burnt out.
