what exactly is a startup to you?

(Assure you a $100k to a startup is not the same as $100k to Google.)

Whatever $100K is to someone, I know that what I said about salary is true. I’ve worked for small VC back companies with less than $10 million in revenue. $100K wouldn’t have made a difference either way.

Here’s small scale examples of $100k making a massive difference:

https://www.businessinsider.com/where-are-they-now-peter-thi...

That said, $100k is not a salary and if someone needs $100k+ salary to do a startup for a year, startups are the wrong choice.

Yes. That’s fine if you’re not adulting - with kids, bills, the need to pay health insurance etc.

If I were under 26, no responsibilities and could get on my parents insurance sure.

This has nothing to do with age, being an adult, being in US, etc.; sure, you have a set of assumptions, but they apply at best to you, not the world.

“Peter Thiel launched a program that awards $100,000 to promising young entrepreneurs who are willing to drop out of college”

Your example explicitly mentions age as one of the requirements.

which is not the kind of thing startups of that size worry about... yc gives $150k...

I don’t think the money is that relevant when it’s that small. It’s more about the connections. Or is that what you were saying?