Comment by JustExAWS
Once you take on investors, that’s not an option. VCs expect rapid growth and an exit - statistically through acquisition, but occasionally an IPO.
Once you go public, then you have investor pressure and can be subject to activist investors unless the founder has controlling interests like in the case of Meta and Google.
Basically why I don't like to work for any public company anymore. You are there to be exploited by moneyed interests that most often don't even have any positive effect on the products itself.