Another Silly Startup Analogy • Hacker News Board

Re: Another Silly Startup Analogy

#21

Post by freework » Fri, May 31, 2013, 6:23 AM UTC

mindcrime wrote: post #14

realrocker wrote: post #7

The analogy fits.

I don't see it. In the game, you pick one key, right? And it either works or it doesn't. It's totally binary, and total chance. Success in business doesn't work like that. As long as you're alive and aren't dead broke and destitute you can keep trying (keep pulling another key) and there are degrees of success... you might only build a multi-million dollar company and not a billion dollar company. OK, how sad. Or may…

The point is that some people grind, build, grind, build, sweat, bleed, grind, build their whole lives without ever getting that stroke of good luck that brings success.

Re: Another Silly Startup Analogy

#22

Post by diego » Fri, May 31, 2013, 3:45 PM UTC

mindcrime wrote: post #19

rabino wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you read the post at all? He's saying that it's hard work, blood, sweat, tears and sheer force of will... and then, luck.

Have you read the post at all? What do you think? He's saying that it's hard work, blood, sweat, tears and sheer force of will... and then, luck. Yes, and I'm saying he's wrong, that this analogy is badly flawed.

You may want to consider these facts:

- I'm 43 years old, and I've been in Silicon Valley for 15 years.

- I've been intimately involved with a number of startups, in different capacities.

- My latest company was a 7-year ride before we sold to LinkedIn.

Many startups I knew were killed by unfortunate and unforeseeable events. My own startup would have died if one of many unpredictable life events that happened to me before or after the journey had instead occurred during.

Startups are very fragile endeavors, and all the hard work in the world can amount to nothing if you don't have a significant amount of luck (or avoid bad luck, if you prefer).

For every guy like me who got successful, there are a number of other guys like me who did all the right things and didn't. Such is life.

Re: Another Silly Startup Analogy

#23

Post by mindcrime » Fri, May 31, 2013, 6:05 PM UTC

diego wrote: post #22

mindcrime wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you read the post at all? What do you think? He's saying that it's hard work, blood, sweat, tears and sheer force of will... and then, luck. Yes, and I'm saying he's wrong, that this analogy is badly flawed.

You may want to consider these facts: - I'm 43 years old, and I've been in Silicon Valley for 15 years. - I've been intimately involved with a number of startups, in different capacities. - My latest company was a 7-year ride before we sold to LinkedIn. Many startups I knew were killed by unfortunate and unforeseeable events. My own startup would have died if one of many unpredictable life events that happened to me…

Right, I get that. What I'm saying is, failure isn't final in startup-land. Unless you're dead, you can try again. This isn't at all like the analogy presented by TFA, where you get one shot with the key and you either win or lose. Also, in Real Life, there are degrees of success, it isn't binary where you either win or lose with no in between.