This is a very cynical read of the data. Most of the companies discussed here are still too early to have an exit.
If you look at the early batches (which are the only ones where all the companies are dead or exited), then more than half of them got to an exit.
And looking at all the companies, only 13% have failed so far, compared to 10% with exits. And failures generally come way before exits, so the data is incredibly biased if not taken on a cohort basis.
I disagree that acquisitions are rarely lucrative. I have been part of several and they have both been good for rank and file (me).
> the idea rarely matters. ideas are free. execution is king.
This is true at the earliest stage where the idea is very fungible. And execution always matters, but there are people out here working on the 50th Travel Booking Assistant who you should not go and work for. If the idea didn't matter, YC wouldn't ask about it.
> your resume quickly becomes uninteresting (ye olde 1 year of experience 5 times problem)
Nobody is forcing you to spend your entire career doing 1 year stints.
If you look at the early batches (which are the only ones where all the companies are dead or exited), then more than half of them got to an exit.
And looking at all the companies, only 13% have failed so far, compared to 10% with exits. And failures generally come way before exits, so the data is incredibly biased if not taken on a cohort basis.
I disagree that acquisitions are rarely lucrative. I have been part of several and they have both been good for rank and file (me).
> the idea rarely matters. ideas are free. execution is king.
This is true at the earliest stage where the idea is very fungible. And execution always matters, but there are people out here working on the 50th Travel Booking Assistant who you should not go and work for. If the idea didn't matter, YC wouldn't ask about it.
> your resume quickly becomes uninteresting (ye olde 1 year of experience 5 times problem)
Nobody is forcing you to spend your entire career doing 1 year stints.