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Comment by SDMattG | Hacker News Reader

No way, man. Sure luck plays a role on some level, but I can tell you I spent seven plus years trying to get apps off the ground. And it wasn't until I started putting in the hard work that things began to turn around. Plain and simple. Drop the excuses!

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Agreed, no way the equation is 95% luck and 1% hard work - as the article suggests (or as the article quotes a CEO saying).

Imho it's more like:

20% is the idea your startup is founded on, 30% stubornness, 30% hard work, and the last 20% is probably a mix of other minor factors including luck.

I think you guys are in agreement. Of course luck plays a role, but you have to put yourself out there to give yourself a chance to get lucky. The best entrepreneurs recognize lucky opportunities when they are presented - but they had to work to get to that position in the first place.

Great point. I wrote a post about this quite a long time ago: http://www.geekceo.com/entry/fooled-by-aquisition. I just reread it and other than the fact I make a few blanket blaming statements, I think my primary message still holds: success is enhanced by working hard and taking advantage of luck when it happens. More or less what you just said! :)

Can't tell if you're being serious... Surely someone who has been working for 7 years has had more opportunities for success than someone with less experience? That, and that you'd have a larger sphere of influence, more real-world experience, and possibly more determination. While you might work harder than your peers (and really, you have every right to be proud of your accomplishments if you do), I wouldn't discount the advantages you had over someone starting off who might put in the same level of effort.

All you did was increase your luck.

No, he increased his chance of success by working hard. Luck != success.

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