As long as we aren't dumping ridiculous amounts of money into startups that have no hope of ever turning a profit or making a significant impact in the world somehow, I think we might be okay.

I think people ~aren't~ happy with big businesses, either to do invest in, do business with or work for.

If you could get a boring 9-5 with a big business, be treated with respect, get paid well, have health insurance and a pension, more people would go with that. If you could invest in index funds and get 10% return a year you might do that. When your bank charges you more fees than a check cashing establishment, you look for alternatives.

Startups appeal to people looking for something better in these three domains,

>If you could get a boring 9-5 with a big business, be treated with respect, get paid well, have health insurance and a pension, more people would go with that.

In my experience, this is what working for "big business" is like, given that you're skilled at something.

In my experience at a big business, technical skills alone are not sufficient for "be treated with respect, get paid well". It takes a certain amount of shameless self-promotion and other skills normally associated with politicians. The nice thing is that you can do your boring 9-5 in two hours without anyone noticing, and spend the rest of your time preparing for a better job.

I could see how the majority of people are "in lust" rather than "in love" with startups because of the opportunities they present. Independence, self-sustainability, and escape from the corporate world are all things I think certain people lust for.