[mtoddh]

I've seen this come up before and I wonder, why do lifestyle businesses have such a negative connotation? It seems like building these sort of sustainable businesses would be a lot more appealing to most people (or at least to me) rather than the VC-funded/start-up lottery approach you refer to in the US.

[hkarthik]

For some people, working at a startup is synonymous to working crazy hours for a few years and getting a big payout in the end. This is the compressed schedule that PG talks about in his essay. In such startups, there are multiple people (including non-founders) who take part in reaping the benefits of the startup's exit. Because everyone gets some benefit, you have the ability to attract better quality talent.

In a lifestyle business, there is the viewpoint where a non-founder is effectively working to support a founder's lifestyle. There is no promise of a good payout and at best, only a steady income with a predictable workload. For some individuals, this feels undesirable since you may end up with a less passionate, lower talent workforce due to the incentives you are offering. Also if the market opportunity grows at any point, you aren't well equipped to take advantage and you can easily get overtaken by a more mobilized, funded competitor.