Internet criticism can be very hurtful. A simple way to prevent further startup suicides is that when you see someone being heavily criticized, or when you see a startup that is being criticized a lot, send them an email supporting them and offering to listen to their side of the story. Even if the people are not suicidal, it can help them through a difficult time and motivate them to continue to do good stuff.
The reality of the situation right now in the startup world is that when people hear you are making x amount/month, you get 500 emails, but when the tables turn and you are suddenly on the receiving end of heavy criticism, you get zero emails.
A little bit of a derailment from what this threat "ought to be" about, but...
The reality of the situation right now in the startup world is that when people hear you are making x amount/month, you get 500 emails, but when the tables turn and you are suddenly on the receiving end of heavy criticism, you get zero emails.
Is this a serious observation? It is my experience that literally nobody cares how much money you're making. Your popularity as a "startup celebrity" is entirely associated with how cool your project is perceived to be, and who is backing it. There are legions of founders making plenty of money on perceived-to-be-boring projects that nobody cares about.
The reality of the situation right now in the startup world is that when people hear you are making x amount/month, you get 500 emails, but when the tables turn and you are suddenly on the receiving end of heavy criticism, you get zero emails.