Steve Jobs' memo to startups • Hacker News Board

Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups

#11

Post by latch » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 4:10 PM UTC

smacktoward wrote: post #7

alexwolfe wrote: post #3

So true. This term seems to be abused more than ever now a days. I've seen too many people who are just starting a company (literally), throw this term around. It's not something to be proud of unless you have something to be proud of.

The crazy thing is that you hear people talking about how they've "started a company" when they haven't figured out how to make their new operation do the primary thing a company does, which is MAKE MONEY. If you're not making money, you're not a company. You're a collection of people that might be a company, someday.

You are flat out wrong. Not every tech product/company/idea comes together in a weekend, a month or even a year. Companies doing new science can go for years, and even decades, without even having a product, let alone clients or revenue.

Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups

#12

Post by Aqua_Geek » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 4:11 PM UTC

edash wrote: post #4

kalleboo wrote: post #2

Source? edit: did some googling and it's from the biography. This is what I hate about tumblr. It's all completely random stuff with no context, no sourcing and no discussion, just those pointless reblog "notes" edit2: of course, biography not autobiography, dunno what I was thinking

This isn't hosted on Tumblr, it's Wordpress. And Tumblr's done lots of great work around attribution: http://staff.tumblr.com/post/1059624418/content-attribution

The article is a repost of this Tumblr post: http://daslee.tumblr.com/post/12161787609/steve-jobs-on-star... (look at the "via" link at the bottom), which is apparently taken from the biography.

Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups

#13

Post by bomatson » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 4:14 PM UTC

Entrepreneur, defined: "A person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on financial risk to do so"

http://bit.ly/uMwlXV

Much respect for entrepreneurs that see it through the whole road, but it doesn't make all the other brilliant entrepreneurs just 'unemployed'

Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups

#14

Post by untog » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 4:14 PM UTC

smacktoward wrote: post #7

alexwolfe wrote: post #3

So true. This term seems to be abused more than ever now a days. I've seen too many people who are just starting a company (literally), throw this term around. It's not something to be proud of unless you have something to be proud of.

The crazy thing is that you hear people talking about how they've "started a company" when they haven't figured out how to make their new operation do the primary thing a company does, which is MAKE MONEY. If you're not making money, you're not a company. You're a collection of people that might be a company, someday.

If you're not making money, you're not a company.

Uh? You're a company when you sign the paperwork to make a company. I get the sentiment behind what you're saying, but the statement doesn't make sense.

If you're not making money, you're not a profitable company. But that ought to be reasonably obvious.

Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups

#15

Post by kenjackson » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 4:15 PM UTC

prostoalex wrote: post #5

kalleboo wrote: post #2

Source? edit: did some googling and it's from the biography. This is what I hate about tumblr. It's all completely random stuff with no context, no sourcing and no discussion, just those pointless reblog "notes" edit2: of course, biography not autobiography, dunno what I was thinking

Which autobiography?

It's actually a biography -- the new one by Isaacson called "Steve Jobs".

Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups

#16

Post by philwelch » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 4:16 PM UTC

smacktoward wrote: post #7

alexwolfe wrote: post #3

So true. This term seems to be abused more than ever now a days. I've seen too many people who are just starting a company (literally), throw this term around. It's not something to be proud of unless you have something to be proud of.

The crazy thing is that you hear people talking about how they've "started a company" when they haven't figured out how to make their new operation do the primary thing a company does, which is MAKE MONEY. If you're not making money, you're not a company. You're a collection of people that might be a company, someday.

I guess Amazon wasn't a company until years after they went public.

Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups

#17

Post by cgarvey » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 4:16 PM UTC

Does this mean I should drop the title "Social Media Expert Bootstrapping Startup Entrepreneur" from my brushed-aluminum oversized business card?

Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups

#18

Post by DavidChouinard » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 4:18 PM UTC

This is my personal favourite quote of his:

“The problem with the Internet startup craze isn’t that too many people are starting companies; it’s that too many people aren’t sticking with it. That’s somewhat understandable, because there are many moments that are filled with despair and agony, when you have to fire people and cancel things and deal with very difficult situations. That’s when you find out who you are and what your values are.

So when these people sell out, even though they get fabulously rich, they’re gypping themselves out of one of the potentially most rewarding experiences of their unfolding lives. Without it, they may never know their values or how to keep their newfound wealth in perspective.”

Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups

#19

Post by snarfy » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 4:19 PM UTC

This from the guy who took the $5000 for breakout after Woz stayed up for 4 days straight fixing design issues caused by bad specs from Jobs. Fucking managers.

Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups

#20

Post by jpdoctor » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 4:19 PM UTC

“I hate it when people call themselves ‘entrepreneurs’ when what they’re really trying to do is launch a startup, so they can cash in and move on.

Of course, this is exactly what is desired from the investor POV, so why the people they fund should act differently is a stretch.