Thanks for the writeup... this is such a great and important post. I think the other side of the same coin is that people need to be able to take criticism respectably and professionally so that others are willing to give it. I've had very mixed results with giving feedback. I've had some experiences where people take it with flying colors, and others where, as you say, people change the subject or make a joke to divert attention. I've also seen aggressive and hot-tempered defense mechanisms that lead to denials and arguments. When that happens it becomes much more difficult to give them feedback next time around because you know it won't be taken well. I'm sure we all have reactionary moments we aren't proud of, but I think it's important to try to be aware of how you respond in these situations so that people won't censor themselves when talking to you.

You point out interesting anecdotes, but I think it is a pretty huge leap to conclude from them that Apple has peaked. The Consumer Reports review notwithstanding, the iPhone 4 is selling well. 2M units flew off the shelves in just a few days. People who want them still can't even get them! I also think a lot of the media hoopla over the antenna issue is because people are used to AT&T being at fault rather than Apple on reception issues, and it looks like that's not the case this time around. Curious to see what they say tomorrow.

If a company went with a 6-8 year vesting schedule, what would happen to non-founders in the event of an early exit? For instance, if I join a startup and it gets acquired in two years, am I now expected to work for the parent company for 4-6 more years in order to fully vest? Is acceleration typical for non-founders in these circumstances? (Or philosophically speaking, should it be)?