Ouch, this bit "Features are sort of irrelevant compared to recurring downtime." is key. If you're going to build a network based business, you have to invest in being operationally nimble. Just because DevOps isn't 'sexy' doesn't mean it isn't important :-) (and no I'm not saying that just because I am an operations guy, but I feel the pain when looking for DevOps engineers)

I also feel GitHub's pain. We're constantly dealing with things that come in over the transom at Blekko and getting a constant stream of sales guys and gals trying to tell us how their product will solve all our issues, and as I tell folks, if you don't know how to solve the problem how is it that you trust this solution being offered is sufficient? I've known people who will respond, "Well if it isn't we'll just beat on them until it is!" but that doesn't help the 'gurgeous's of the world who are trying to use your service while your vendor it getting beaten about the head and shoulders with a tuna.

I've advised a couple of startup founders who had under 'scaling' in their proposals "EC2/S3 totally scales" that while it was true, lacquer oil paints create masterpiece paintings, except if you don't know why a masterpiece is a masterpiece, just having the paint won't get you there.