[Bresenham]

My thesis is that for the earnest young founders mentioned in the essay who want to make the world a better place and to work on X, the trouble starts when they sign a deal with VCs, super seeds etc.

If they are not earnest, but sociopathic, then the thesis does not apply to them. The essay was about earnestness.

Tangentially - if you read the emails, texts etc. found in discovery for Brin, Schmidt etc., they are secretly entering a cartel the DOJ would break up to forbid direct recruitment of their own workers. Even the people who are doing all of the work to supposedly "make the world a better place" are being screwed by the effort, never mind people outside the company and the externalities on the way to that greater profit.

[graeme]

Yes but you specifically cited Jobs and Zuckerberg’s Facebook in support of your thesis.