When a startup is small, it seems cute and the press writes encouragingly about it. When it reaches the size where they can get attention by attacking it, they do that instead.
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The founders, who've been the same people all along, find their personas have been switched from "plucky young founder trying to make new idea work" to "evil plutocrat bent on destroying the world." Whatever people can get attention by portraying you as, you'll be portrayed as.
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You’re right that “plucky founder grows up to great guy” doesn’t sell, but hubris is real too.
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So many examples of this behavior across many different industries. Punk rockers going pop...
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It's also possible that some behaviors/strategies are "plucky" when you have little power or influence and legitimately verging on evil when you have lots of power and influence...
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punching up and punching down
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I don't think that's quite right -- as you gain power, you gain critics and judges. It is correct to question power.
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Yeah, this one doesn't seem to hold up. It's so tempting to believe that you do no wrong. The founders themselves probably feel what they're doing is right, or else they wouldn't do it. But people were right to call out Theranos, for example.
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...And I feel for whatever the current stereotype fits.
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Unfortunately, the for-profit press business model is incentivized by exposure/views and not an inquiry for the truth. The closest source of strong journalism comes from publicly funded news organizations at this time.
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That said, I believe that greater scrutiny is appropriate for a company that becomes more ingrained in society and verges on the cusp of acting as a public utility.
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The founders are not the same personas all along. Change is real. And it’s much more likely when someone gains power relatively quickly. Doesn’t need to be a bad thing but it can be.
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