This post is one long moan. Of course startups are hard. So is marriage, and so is jogging. So if you're doing it, you'd better love it, because if you don't, you're going to be miserable. You do it because you love building things and love to learn things -- and you can handle failure, whether it's temporary or permanent. You can recognize that you have not actually failed if you've learned in the process, made personal connections, etc.
People doing startups need encouragement. They may need to be warned that this isn't easy, but they really don't need moans.
People thinking about doing startups do need views from different perspectives. The article is exactly that. It's not a moan, it's a pragmatic view from someone who drank the koolaid and is now seeing the reality, and shares it. It's probably something he himself would have wanted to read 2 years ago to have a more balanced view (even if he would probably have done it anyway!).
Yes, the article is not too positive, because the author is not at a great point. But it's far from a moan.
Also, some people doing startups do need encouragement, but some others need to be told that what they are doing is not valuable and they had better change course or go back home.
My apologies if it seemed like a giant moan. I was just trying to give a slice of reality about our personal experiences. Startups and the Silicon Valley Life are made to look pretty glamorous, and I wanted to offer another viewpoint.
I went into this whole thing being pretty naive about a lot of the process, so I wanted to relate some of the things I've learned along the way.
And, FWIW, I am not saying you have no reason to complain. But keep your chin up. If this one doesn't work out, you've learned a ton, and the next one will be better.
People doing startups need encouragement. They may need to be warned that this isn't easy, but they really don't need moans.