Who said I wrote them off? I am writing off the author of this article. This article is about 5% substance, 30% quotes from other people, and the rest is a mixture of vague personal opinions and forewarnings about the realities of the odds against entrepreneurs from a guy who, from what I can tell, has never had the guts to start a business.

I personally don't find much value in Eric Ries advice and think he capitalized on the brand value of his education and a couple of minor business successes to write a highly successful and oft-cited book. I feel the same way about Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, and Tim Ferris. More power to them for building their personal brands and book sales through the insecurity of people just starting out, but I wouldn't spend too much time studying their prescriptions for success, because in reality, there is no such thing.

My point in the original post was that any author spending so much time citing startup gurus can't himself know too much about what he is talking about. It is like writing about new technology by reblogging Engadget articles.