Why Entrepreneurs Lie: Overcoming Toxic Startup Culture

The energy and enthusiasm of startup founders can be infectious. It's energizing to be around. It may also often be based on deep insecurity and a surprising level of bullshit. In a fascinating podcast, Yale lecturer Kyle Jensen digs into the reasons why modern startup culture too often encourages everything from exaggeration to outright fraud.

“If I’m going to join your startup company, I don’t want to see you vacillating or uncertain or filled with doubt. I feel comforted by your unwavering confidence. And the danger for entrepreneurs is that, that enthusiasm and confidence creeps into falsity, fraud in the extremes.”

Whether you are a startup founder yourself, or likely to engage with one, it's an important reminder that the task of balancing your outsized optimism for something with the need for truth will be a personal journey. The world may seem to encourage you to tell a small lie that turns into a big one. And the only thing stopping you will be your own integrity.