[mindcrime]

If the goal is just to build something that will get bought, you might be able to get... stressed and frantic about that. But you usually won't have the same type of passionate, intrinsic motivation that drives founders who are in love with their idea.

Fair enough, and I agree with that. I don't want to "build a company to flip," but if - in the process of building what I hope will be a billion dollar company - I get an early / unexpected chance to walk away with a nice chunk of bank; it would be hard to turn down. That's all I'm really getting at.

[mtran]

I definitely see that... turning down a big offer wouldn't even be smart in some cases. And even for those who want to "change the world" there may be a point where the money just makes too much sense to walk away from...because you may KNOW you could make a difference in another way with $20million.

I also think a lot depends on how you're wired. I'm relentless & tireless when I believe in what I'm doing and good things tend to happen when I'm in that space. But I can't see myself getting there from a starting point built only on $$$.