No One Will Steal Your Big Idea

Yet this isn't exactly what this article is talking about. I agree with the article in general-- that "stealth mode" is usually unnecessary and isolating and that people simply stealing an idea is pretty rare to non-existent. What's even more rare is someone successfully stealing an idea. Usually anyone mediocre enough to want to lift someone else's idea isn't up to execution.

What I'm talking about here is more the personal one-on-one long-con... the predatory narcissistic types who hang around the business community, make grandiose claims, and then deliver nothing or worse mooch time/money off entrepreneurs. Stealth-mode won't protect you from this. Street smarts and skepticism will.

Edit: Here's a bit of advice for avoiding these gadflies:

Get specific. Who are you? Why are you interested? What do you want to do and what do you want in return? If they claim to be an investor, are they an angel? Accredited? With what firm? What else have they invested in? If they don't get specific back, they are blowing hot air.

Avoid "business consultants" who talk about "accelerating" you or "taking you to the next level" without getting very very very specific about how. Most of these people are bozos. Even if they're not bozos, usually they are not who an early-stage startup needs.

If someone talks fast and uses a lot of buzzwords, this is a bad sign.

Check references carefully. Keep in mind that narcissistic self-promoter types can be extremely creative about making a nothing look like a something.

If you do get involved with someone, drop them and move on if they don't deliver. Don't ever take hot air as a substitute for real results.

If you hang around the startup culture and talk up your idea you will run into these people and they will at the very least waste your time.

Also: the "scene" will kill your startup. Concentrate on executing and ignore the "startup scene."

One thing to be on guard against is the human social capital version of the Ponzi scheme. In this a self-promoter makes wild promises, gets you talking them up, and then uses you as a reference to climb the social ladder and gain access to people further up the success chain. At no point is anything actually done or delivered to anyone. The end-game for such a person is to worm their way into a successful venture at just the right moment to hitch a ride... such as at the moment of a liquidity event. Another goal can be for them to get their "stink" on as many entrepreneurs as possible-- get their names on contracts, etc.-- so that if someone is successful they can come along later and sue. If they time it right, they might catch you at a liquidity point and you'll pay them off to make them go away... very similar to a patent troll.

These people will waste your time and make you look like a jerk. You'd be surprised how many of these there are, especially if you're in a "startup hub."

Disclaimer, I'm not an apple fanboy. I actually prefer android.

If you don't have the legal clout that apple has to defend its IP, then you'd better not take the advice of this article.

The whole execution is more important thing is true, but thinking that means you can just go blurt your trade secrets out to everyone is just dead wrong. People want you to think that so you'll tell them. It's a big fnord.

The article argues that since it takes a lot of effort to do a startup, no one will steal your idea? Oh, I guess you forgot about the big corps that will just clone you in two weeks when they don't feel like buying your company.