[ghaff]

>size matters, but publicly traded matters more.

It matters some but a very large private company still needs to organize and make money even if there's probably somewhat less immediacy.

>big company vs. small company person; each has an advantage

Yes. Small companies have limitations to what they can achieve even if they're impressive at small scale. And, certainly, software that doesn't involve enterprise sales allows for outsized effect.

But, in general, the level of just do what needs to be done that works at even a 1,000 person company totally breaks down at 10x and certainly 100x that scale. And that probably works well for people who abhor chaos and is anathema for people who sort of want to chart their own path.

[eru]

> It matters some but a very large private company still needs to organize and make money even if there's probably somewhat less immediacy.

For a company like Google, it's exactly the same. Even after going public, the founders still control the majority of stock voting rights. And there's no obligation in corporate law that you have to maximize profits.

It's just that you have a fiduciary duty to the shareholders; maximizing profits is one things shareholders can want, but it's not the only thing they are allowed to ask for.