How exactly is it disrespectful to other startups to call your side-project a startup? This is the key assumption involved in this article, and it is not actually addressed in the slightest.

I would argue it is far from disrespectful: the funded startups know who they are; likewise with the YC/incubator startups; likewise with the full-time startups.

I really don't see how it's disrespectful to them to call your weekend project a startup. Do you perhaps mean dilution of the term? I could perhaps come around to that, but that's a far cry from any notion of respect; in fact, I would argue that you are diluting the very idea of 'respect' by applying it to this scenario.

Et tu, bmull?