[bond]

>1) When built-to-sell startups get customers, they aren't really interested in listening to them to improve the product – the company is supposed to be sold anyway.

I don't agree entirely with this one. For a company to be able to sell, first it needs to have customers around or else how will attract buyers?

No customers, no business...

[whitegloveapps]

I pretty much agree with you that a company needs to have customers to attract. (Although I bet there are examples where the product didn't have that many customers, and the company was bought for the idea or the people on the team.)

What I'm suggesting is that, like the developer of my apartment complex, if the company isn't in it for the long haul, they may not pay attention to improvements or feedback customers are suggesting. The company may figure they're going to get acquired soon, so if some of the customers just stop using the product, they can still be claimed as users...