Comments on: Some Seed Fell on Rocky Ground: L'affaire Kiko

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 00:11:45 +0000

Wait, so this is real? It’s an actual possibility? I guess it shouldn’t surprise me from a business perspective, but I tend to be idealistic, and it kind of hurts from that emotional perspective.

By: Jason Hoffman

Jason Hoffman — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 02:31:10 +0000

Raymond: No

By: Raymond Brigleb

Raymond Brigleb — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 19:45:41 +0000

If Joyent was sold to Google, or whomever, would all our lifetime plans go away?

By: David Young

David Young — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:29:57 +0000

Typo. Thanks.

By: App O Rama.com

App O Rama.com — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 20:08:33 +0000

Does Richard White go by the nickname or Ryan, or was that a typo?

By: Clark Wilkins

Clark Wilkins — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 15:48:03 +0000

I applaud you for holding out for what you’re worth. I’m sure it’s much easier when you’re already profitable, but there has to be a temptation to cash out and do something easier for awhile.

And I have no problem at all with startups cashing out. It seems to me that’s a rational motivator and end-game. Doing something purely for the beauty of it is usually a luxury reserved for those who are already financially secure or those who simply don’t care about economic matters. We can’t all be artists or nothing would get done.

By: David Young

David Young — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 17:57:04 +0000

Great question. In my experience, startups, when done right, are so consuming, require so much sacrifice on the part of the family (wife and children), are mentally and physically draining: one is essentially trying to compress a 40 year career into 5+ years, from a financial standpoint. The financial reward is the carrot. Other rewards follow, too. Other satisfactions. But those don’t pay the mortgage, educated the children, cover retirement.

The wonderful thing about a startup is one is working on something one loves, and can see the immediate results of one’s actions (positive or negative) with a minimal of politics.

By: andrew

andrew — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 17:24:00 +0000

That’s what I was getting at: does reward necessarily equal financial riches? In the context of startups, that is. I mean, if the reward you seek is soul satisfaction, artistic satisfaction, to be a change in the world or, like me, just time to be a good-enough Dad, do you have to push-push-push for the money?

An honest question, no more.

By: David Young

David Young — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 16:27:20 +0000

Oh, I don’t want to speak for Dean and Jason, but I’m sure they didn’t do TextDrive for the money…they did it for the pain! Seriously, money is just a proxy for reward. Whatever you do, make sure you’re rewarded. Make sure you have fun. But…all startups, however fun, and however altruistic, are long, difficult, upward climbs.

By: andrew

andrew — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 14:16:20 +0000

Do it for the money. Is that the thing? Is it the thing that launched TextDrive?

OK, things change, including people’s motivations and where they’re going. And maybe some of the founders always had money in mind.

And that’s all fine and proper. Hell, we all need money. I even had some once upon a time, or so I seem to remember.

But TextDrive. That’s the thing. Even for those of us who weren’t there at the start, it means a lot. And I guess, sentimentally, we’d like to think that it means more to you people than the potential of a large cheque from Google or Yahoo.

So, perhaps you tease. Have a little fun. Why not; it’s your prerogative. But tread gently.