We Need to Resist Toxic Entrepreneurship

It’s hurting everyone, and helping nobody.

Jessica Wildfire
The Apeiron Blog

Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash

Years ago, one of my students tried to recruit me for his startup — after telling me my class was pointless.

“My mentor said he has no idea what ethos even is.” My student laughed. “He just knows it doesn’t pay the bills.”

My student didn’t remember what ethos meant, even though we’d been talking about it all week. So I walked him back through the lesson, explaining how ethos was about reputation and character. It was about aligning your actions with your values.

“Wouldn’t that be important for someone looking to start a business? Isn’t that kind of like… your brand?”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess so.”

That’s when he said he was impressed. He wanted me to join his startup, which only existed on paper at that point.

I politely declined.

Toxic Entrepreneurs Pervert a Noble Enterprise.

Starting companies is great.

You design something. You invent something. You innovate. You create jobs. Everyone wins. Maybe you get lucky and sell your company for millions or even billions of dollars. Or you just grow your little business into an empire, something you might…

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Responses (18)

What are your thoughts?

Please keep writing about this topic. Far too much of business writing (and journalism) revolves around this cult of success. I call it the Secular Prosperity Gospel. Just as big a load of bullshit as what any televangelist is trying to peddle.
I’ve…...

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It is painfully obvious who is the demigod of toxic entrepreneurship. He'll have his own religion someday.
This is capitalism carried to its logical conclusion. People have no value except as products whose worth is assessed according to their…...

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You might look into doing an article on venture capital investors. They buy up companies, saddle them debt, charge high "management fees" institute "cost saving" measures, then after they've rung them dry, declare bankruptcy leaving thousands without jobs.

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