I think that relatively few startups would get started if they all had to be &#x27;default alive&#x27; - founding a startup would be limited to folks who were already independently wealthy.  The point of the article, I think, is that if you&#x27;re &#x27;default dead&#x27;, you should <i>know</i> that you&#x27;re default dead, and your attention should be focused on getting to a state where you&#x27;re &#x27;default alive&#x27;.