Also, this idea of small amount now or large amount later doesn't quite make sense. My understanding is that Google didn't pay that much for it (as measured by Google's stock price at the time). A lot of times when a founder says they have a small offer they mean "returns 10% of the investors money and employees half of the team at 80% of what they could make if they just went out an got jobs on their own. So as I read between the lines, that small offer was probably easy to walk away from under any conditions.
OK, Laurie Bream...
Culturally, thankfully, it seems the negative outcomes from this attitude are on display right now. Mainstream life is very partitioned, dissociated, maybe. I think of my parents who can't stand BLM protests at football games because "there's no place for politics at work." #metoo is somehow related here, too.
The walls are coming down; I believe we need to take a more holistic approach to life to truly survive, succeed, and thrive. I'm sorry if this sounds a little scattered to the more thinking-oriented type, as I'm more of a feeling/intuitive personality myself.
Heyyyy, it's just Business. Capiche?
"Business is business, it's not personal". And that's part of the problem.
I could believe that he is putting a spin on it now since not paying people and expecting them to stay on is less than ideal employee treatment.
I'm trying to recall from memory here since the book isn't in front of me.
He's talking about selling his first company, its all about making hard choices and such. The company is dying so he had two options either sell the company now (for a smaller amount) or fire most of the staff and sell later. He mentions how he had to let go of the staff but later sold it for a larger amount of money. He then says something to the degree of considering it a "win".
I don't know that I consider laying off a ton of people for a greater exit a win. I consider it a move to get more money, but I doubt anyone chasing money is going to "fix the internet".