You Don't Have What It Takes to Be a Founder(calacanis.com) |
You Don't Have What It Takes to Be a Founder(calacanis.com) |
The (implicit) meme in HN posts that success is mostly a function of skill rather than mostly a function of luck is not merely misleading but actively dangerous. We need to be fully aware that business (particularly business in the middle of a bubble, or business where stocks are involved, or business where you're borrowing money from investors) is essentially a form of gambling, and can have very similar consequences for anyone who isn't exceedingly lucky. We need to stop paying attention to success stories (with a big enough pool, a series of miracles is inevitable) and pay attention to the average case (which is to say, miserable failure).
There is no magic road to a successful startup, not even by cutting off your own arm (hopefully in a metaphorical sense).