[georgieporgie]

I agree in general, but:

1) These are, by far, the most inspiring stories on HN. I would so much rather read about how a developer or small group sold X dollars of product Y than about a mega-corporation going public.

2) The SEO benefits of creating buzz and links around your product must be worth something. I don't know how applicable this is to something like iPhone apps, which I assume are generally discovered within the iTunes store.