Reflecting on My Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company

It seems to me the acquihire option was rather summarily dismissed in this post, and I’m not sure why. It would’ve been better for employees and investors, and the customers at worst would’ve gotten a clean, slow wind-down with time to find alternatives.

The idea that large companies are horrible places to work and where good products go to die is another stereotype spread by VCs to convince people to go hard into billion-dollar companies.

Agree--definitely a better outcome for all the stakeholders, including Salil (given the opportunity cost of building a lifestyle business). It didn't even have to be an acquihire. He had enough of a product and/or business that a buyer with the right strategic market need for it would have bought the company for more than x per developer.