Do you really think that acquihires are becoming the default failure mode? What about all of the startups that fail silently? I'm seeing some selection bias here.
I don't know, but what actually happens is immaterial. All that matters is perception, and my perception (selection bias and all) is that starting or being involved in a startup seems much less risky than it did 5 or 10 years ago. I'm sure that there are lots of people at Harvard, Wharton, and Columbia that share this perception, leading to an increase in demand for programs about startups.