When I was starting my career, I always looked at those companies as dream jobs. The amazing offices, the culture, everything was eye-catching.
As I started to get older and more experienced, I noticed that those companies are not that special. They have issues, problems, and conflicts like any other company. Don't get me wrong, those companies are still amazing and their impact is undeniable.
I see this like sports. There are amazing teams out there, but the ones with more capital are able to go after the best players in the market. This doesn't mean that small teams don't have talented players.
The only reason why I invited those individuals is because they are the most talented programmers I know. I'm pretty sure there are amazing people working on smaller companies, but when I looked at my past co-workers and developers from my circle of friends, those were the ones I wanted to hear more from.
Anyways, hopefully this will show a little bit more about my decision making process.
Good luck on your book! I'm excited to take a look, is there any pre-sale already?