PG wrote a good post on this topic (a counterpoint I would argue). Unfortunately I can't find it. But it's about why selling your company makes sense -- why you should give it to people who are optimzied for running a business. Or something to that effect. Probably worth rereading if I could find it.
Steve Jobs' memo to startups
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Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups
#22This 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.
You should read the biography to get some context and understanding. I'm not saying that that was wrong, or even that it actually happened, but I'd actually read it before making a comment like that.
Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups
#23I kind of think the opposite. Entrepreneurs are the ones that create viable businesses, cash in, and move on (usually to try to do it again.)
Steve, on the other hand, created the mother of all lifestyle businesses. (for his value of lifestyle, of course)
Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups
#24I can't say he was mistaken, since he was only saying he disliked it. But I don't think there's anything wrong with selling a company at any stage. Steve's problem with selling seemed to be that you're shirking work by doing it. But that isn't necessarily, or even usually, true. A lot of people who sell startups go on to do other things, and often bigger things. If we were still running Viaweb, we could not have started Y Combinator.
Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups
#25So what? I don't know what qualifies as 'cashing in', but there's more to life than just running a company. Just because you've decided not to stick around for 20-30 years doesn't mean everything you did up until then wasn't hard work.
I don't think he's talking about hard work. He is talking about people who are driven by short term thinking. People who don't really care about their work.
Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups
#26So what? I don't know what qualifies as 'cashing in', but there's more to life than just running a company. Just because you've decided not to stick around for 20-30 years doesn't mean everything you did up until then wasn't hard work.
Right. For all of Apple's incredible work, this is a curious quote from a man who commissioned a biography because
"I wanted my kids to know me," he said. "I wasn't always
there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to
understand what I did." [0]
[0] http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/148601/jobs-ask...
Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups
#27With this in mind I wonder why he chose to sell Pixar. While he made a tremendous amount of money from the sale, I don't think it was really enough to make a tremendous change in his lifestyle.
Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups
#28Between this post and comments from startup school along the same lines, there seems to be a lot of people complaining about founders looking to make a quick buck without having to work hard for it.
I live in SF. I'm running a startup, and many of my friends are as well. Where are these lazy, get rich quick people I keep reading about? Am I just lucky to only be surrounded by hard-working entrepreneurs who are trying to build long-term viable businesses, or is this problem being overblown a little?
This is me genuinely asking, not making a statement in question form.
Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups
#29I've always believed there are three kinds of entrepreneurs. 1) Those that want to build an empire from scratch. 2) Those that want to build to sell and retire rich. 3) Those that want to generate an income stream that will allow them to live the lifestyle of their choice (maybe working 3 days a week).
All are valid and I consider all of them startups.
Re: Steve Jobs' memo to startups
#30With this in mind I wonder why he chose to sell Pixar. While he made a tremendous amount of money from the sale, I don't think it was really enough to make a tremendous change in his lifestyle.
He did not start the Pixar. He bought it and then sold it.