Yeah, you've accurately explained how Silicon Valley culture can ruin companies that would be completely sustainable otherwise. Thanks!
For the record, I think both of these derogatory connotations are crap, and I run a "feature" startup myself. Fortunately, we don't need venture investment since we're running breakeven. Even with issued patents and paid licensees, it's nigh impossible to find VCs interested in a feature company.
In SV, "just a feature" has a derogatory connotation, sort of like "lifestyle business". It causes people who run feature companies to try to get away from this characterization – even if it means stretching their business into something that it cannot easily become. This is especially true for features that have no moat, and which would therefore be Sherlocked [1] by companies like Apple.
1: https://www.howtogeek.com/297651/what-does-it-mean-when-a-co...