Hmm, are software startups really high risk to founders? Does this argument even matter?

Liberal industry culture lets founders move in and out of startups, consulting and full-time arrangements. High compensation lets founding teams take sabbaticals often. If one has a reasonably low cost of living and a solid hourly rate, working 1/3 of the year vends 2/3s startup time.

Given that PG has said many YC founders are older, I'd expect they've moved into the low-risk category, extra responsibilities of life included. And the cost of software startups keeps coming down.

Edit: ignoring non-software, here.