[apu]

As one data point against your statement, from PG's "Hiring is Obsolete":

I asked managers at Yahoo, Google, Amazon, Cisco and Microsoft how they'd feel about two candidates, both 24, with equal ability, one who'd tried to start a startup that tanked, and another who'd spent the two years since college working as a developer at a big company. Every one responded that they'd prefer the guy who'd tried to start his own company.

http://www.paulgraham.com/hiring.html

[brk]

Don't believe the OP was starting a company, he's coming in as an employee. Big difference.