[michaelmior]

> startups that fail put you very far behind relative to peers

I think this really depends on what metric you're using for success. If it's finances, a failed startup is almost certainly a significant setback. In terms of experience, that's much more debatable.

[xwdv]

Believe me, finances is the metric of success for 95% of people and for the 5% where it isn’t they are either independently wealthy already or so delusional that failure is guaranteed.

[jjoonathan]

Re: the inevitable "money isn't the metric of success" replies

You're not just saying that money isn't your metric of success, you are saying that nothing money can buy is your metric of success. Money can buy runway for your next startup, it can buy safety & security for your family, it can buy political influence, it can buy food for starving African children, and it can even buy time (shorter commutes and other peoples' time).

The world is full of people trying to convince you that making money for yourself shouldn't be a goal, but that helping them make money should be. These people don't ultimately care about money either, but they do care about something that money can buy, and they have internalized this fact.

If you truly don't care about anything that money can buy, all the power to you -- just please make sure you aren't being taken for a ride by someone using "money isn't the metric of success" to vampire your time and energy.

[michaelmior]

I would disagree so I guess that just leaves me in the delusional category :)

[convolvatron]

if no one did anything because they loved it, or because they thought it would help humankind, the world would be a much sadder and more transactional place. i dont know that we would have mathematicians, musicians, writers, costumers, chefs...or really much of anything

maybe just replace delusional with 'idealistic' or some other dismissive but less directly offensive term

[bradlys]

Or maybe it's that many people who did those things and became successful with it are from privileged positions that allowed them to do such things...

And so if we lifted people into positions where they didn't feel like their basic needs would be taken away if they didn't work some job making money then they could experiment and do things that were less transactional... But until we have that Star Trek future - we gonna be transactional.

[convolvatron]

i guess i was talking sideways...was trying to say that some of the most valuable things we do as a species are already non or quasi transactional.