I am not saying that venture funding is disappearing. I am, however, saying that startup culture will not play the dominant, all-knowing role in the future economy that it played in our recent past. No longer will the hoodie-wearing, inexperienced twenty-something be our business guru. After Theranos, Lending Club, Zenefits, and Hampton Creek blatantly scammed investors, the questions will get tougher. Investors will be forced to downgrade or write off a number of formerly valuable, privately held “unicorns.” And when people get burned, they learn. 159
Future of Work, Think Series Page 150 Page 152