> "Do you have any actual examples of this happening?"
As a guy who hangs out at a number of SF-area meetups and startup events (free booze and food? count me in) I have met many startup employees and founders who freely admit to this.
For the most part people are interested in the work they're doing (big scalability issues, big data problems, etc), but many people are in it for the money (either ludicrous SV salaries or the hope of a massive flip) and don't genuinely believe in what their product does.
I think this is the attitude OP was railing against, and I'm inclined to agree. There are some damn smart cookies in this town, most of whom are incredibly well paid and mobile - to work on something you don't believe in... that seems incredibly wasteful.
As a guy who hangs out at a number of SF-area meetups and startup events (free booze and food? count me in) I have met many startup employees and founders who freely admit to this.
For the most part people are interested in the work they're doing (big scalability issues, big data problems, etc), but many people are in it for the money (either ludicrous SV salaries or the hope of a massive flip) and don't genuinely believe in what their product does.
I think this is the attitude OP was railing against, and I'm inclined to agree. There are some damn smart cookies in this town, most of whom are incredibly well paid and mobile - to work on something you don't believe in... that seems incredibly wasteful.