You've succeeded once people start asking you how you succeeded.

That may be one of the indicators (and a shallow indicator at that) of success, but I'd be hard-pressed to use it as a threshold or a point of satisfaction in terms of success. Wouldn't a start-up have much more meaning to a founder? Normally, when one comes up with an idea, it addresses a need in the world or a better way to do things.

Others have asked me for advice, but in no way do I feel that I have accomplished my mission. There are greater and more substantial objectives other than being asked advices or receiving praise.

My question was, what is 'success'?

OK, then success is something that is very personal. You've gotta define it for yourself. I wonder if you're undergoing an existential crisis, having succeeded at some superficial or not so superficial level but feeling there has to be something more out there that you're missing. There's nothing more out there. Life is only what you make it, just like success.

To some people, success is raising a happy family. To others, it is making manager or director or executive as a cog in a Fortune 500 machine. Most of us here want to start a successful company and make a nice profit or reach a liquidity event.

I would consider myself having succeeded if I can do any or all of the following:

1: Make the GUI that I outlined in my first YC application, an interface intended to make the internet really easy to use for non-traditional users of computers.

2: Cure a major illness or create a major technological breakthrough through my own research lab.

3: Take over Equatorial Guinea.

I suppose one can interpret my question as a bout with "existential crisis". Defining 'success' in the framework of an entire life is more of a philosophical exercise, which I'd rather not go into as of yet.

"1: Make the GUI that I outlined in my first YC application, an interface intended to make the internet really easy to use for non-traditional users of computers." The latter was a great answer and it was the sort of answer I was looking for.

I simply believe that there can be a greater objective in a start-up than a simple exit event. I think eBay was a success cause it had a large impact on shopping online and in fact created an entire new market; Amazon pretty much legitimized online shopping; Hotmail brought web-based email to the masses; TripAdvisor introduced reliable, user-generated opinions for all things related to travel, etc.

I personally believe that a start-up's impact on society and/or business is more important than anything else.

Why Equatorial Guinea?

It's a target that Western governments want to fall and it has an enormous amount of oil for its small population,

> My question was, what is 'success'?

When women want you while before they never paid attention to you, your startup has been a success.

Set a goal. Reach it. You are successful at that. That is the broadest def you can get.