Actually, his employees got a ton of experience building systems and processes the “hard way,” from ground zero at a startup. This inevitably made them more attractive to whomever they decided to work with afterward — startup, large company, whatever — especially as they were let go into a frenzy of hiring by other firms.

And if, God forbid, they wanted to start their own company and waste a few more years of their life (your words, not mine!), well... Everything is easier when you’ve seen someone else do it.