Historical independent-founder response — October 11, 2026. This September 2025 essay argues for evaluating location advice against actual customers, costs and constraints. The unnamed critic’s experience and motives are not established here. Rent, VC growth/allocation, fees and the 99% AI-enabled figure lack defined dated comparisons, so they are not reliable decision inputs. The six-years-ago wording also conflates the reported 2019 start with a post-pandemic period. Remote work is not a guarantee that every founder can operate from any country or satisfy every obligation. Current company direction is on About.
Real talk from a technical founder building AI-powered businesses
Published September 9, 2025 • Based on Founder Reality Episode 15
Also available on: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube
I saw a LinkedIn post yesterday that made me physically cringe. A well-known Silicon Valley VC telling founders to "move back to SF" because "being successful as a founder is about luck, so you should maximize the chance that you can be lucky."
I disagree with the advice as a universal rule. This article does not establish the critic’s work history or intent; the useful question is whether moving fits the founder’s actual business and constraints.
The Problem With Chess Piece Advice
This VC talks about founders like we're chess pieces on his board. "You should move here. You should do this. You should maximize your luck."
But let me ask three simple questions:
- Has this guy ever stayed up at 3am debugging code?
- Has he ever had to choose between paying himself and paying his developer?
- Has he ever had customers screaming at him because something broke and he's the only person who can fix it?
That is not established here. I do not know his operating history. Assess the recommendation on actual customer access, cost, financing needs and execution.
The 2025 Reality: You Can Build From Anywhere
The original paragraph conflated a reported 2019 start with a later post-pandemic period. The location/capital comparison needs a defined date; no corrected personal timeline is inferred here.
But today I'm running my companies from Toronto, Canada. SimpleDirect serves contractors across the United States - people doing kitchen remodeling in Ohio, bathroom renovations in Texas.
Those customers don't care if I'm in San Francisco or Bangkok. They only care if the product works.
None of my ANC consulting clients have asked "Do you have an office in Palo Alto?" They just want to know if I can help them build something that makes money.
The Bootstrap Reality Check
Some tools reduced our costs. Bootstrapping still has labor, infrastructure, acquisition, support and other costs; the cost has not been established as zero.
I've lived this evolution - building companies in 2020, 2022, and 2025. These are completely different timelines. We're building two great companies with just five people, very simple SaaS tools, self-hosted infrastructure, and incredibly low monthly burn.
My original $6–8K single-bedroom estimate did not define a dated location or comparable property. Compare actual housing, business and relocation costs rather than treating that number as a reason every bootstrap founder should avoid the city.
If you have parents, start your company from their basement or garage. There's no shame in saving capital to reinvest in your business instead of San Francisco rent.
The Venture Capital Reality
My original 60–70% venture-funding growth claim did not specify a period, dataset or allocation measure. It is not a reliable estimate here, or evidence that a company without AI in its name is unlikely to receive funding.
I would weigh any location change against actual customers, financing needs, costs and obligations. The original 99% AI-enabled estimate had no defined population; neither developing models nor using them automatically settles where a business should operate.
The AI Advantage Changes Everything
With AI, my team can:
- Write code with AI assistance
- Let AI handle customer support while maintaining satisfaction rates
- Create content while maintaining our values and principles
- Analyze data and create reports
- Write blog posts and social media content
I reported my team in South Asia and Africa using tools also used in San Francisco. That account does not establish equal access everywhere; availability, permissions, connectivity, cost and applicable obligations can differ.
We're In An AI Bubble
Sam Altman himself has admitted we're in an AI bubble. When it pops - and it will pop like the dot-com bubble - where do you think those founders who structured their entire business around VC funding will be?
We see the glamorous side of OpenAI and Anthropic raising at massive valuations. We don't see what happens when the cycle ends.
The Real Network Effects
I personally know founders who moved to SF, raised money, burned through it because VCs told them to "go fast," and ended up selling their company for nothing. I also know founders living in Southern France and Eastern Europe making seven-figure businesses that VCs call "lifestyle companies."
Ask yourself: which is more inspiring? The company that raises hundreds of millions, goes bust, and leaves everyone with nothing? Or the one that makes tens of millions consistently with a team of less than 10 people and no investors?
The real network effects come from knowing founders who are actually building, not from attending SF networking parties where real technical founders are probably at home coding instead.
My Challenge to You
Stop taking advice from people who've never done what you're trying to do.
I have not established every investor’s operating experience or actual fund terms. The original paragraph also failed to distinguish management-fee and performance-compensation bases. Evaluate the specific advice rather than inferring a universal background or motive.
You are a piece on their chessboard. They have many pieces - that's why they call it a portfolio.
Proximity might help some investor interactions, but I do not know this critic’s motive. Decide whether the business benefits justify the actual relocation cost and constraints.
The Sovereign Business Model
I've completely abandoned venture capital. I'm building my companies like a sovereign wealth engine - we compound equity and grow forever, like Berkshire Hathaway, instead of exiting.
How can you optimize for decades, not quarters?
Your luck comes from solving real problems for real customers, not from being in the same zip code as investors. While everyone else fights over expensive SF apartments and chases AI hype rounds, there's a massive opportunity for builders who think differently.
The Future Belongs to Independent Builders
The future belongs to founders who can build global businesses from anywhere, not from founders who think they need permission from Sand Hill Road to succeed.
Think about Amazon during the dot-com bubble - it almost crushed their stock price and nearly wiped out the business. But they kept going, and look where they are now.
Build something real, something that compounds, something people actually want. You'll stick around long after the bubble pops.