I want to talk for a minute on why hackers should only work on their own ideas.
Simply put, it is a question of motivation. In almost any startup, 90% of the early effort is product development. Therefore, it is unquestionably the best when the people developing the product are well motivated. In a software startup, the hackers are the ones developing the product, and it is nearly impossible for a hacker to feel motivated to work hard for an idea that is not theirs.
It is a question of ownership of the idea. It isn't a question of equity, or money, or quality of the idea or business plan. If I'm working on an idea that is somebody else's, the natural dynamic is for me to feel like the employee, and for the idea creator to feel like the employer. I don't want to be an employee- I've got my day job for that. Anybody busting their ass until 2 AM with little or no pay isn't going to bust their ass very long feeling like an employee.
With Apple, the idea for the company was Wozniak's. He was a hacker, and he had made this cool computer that he was proud of. As he was showing it off to some people, Jobs saw it and together they started to sell it. Imagine how far Apple would have gotten if Jobs had gone up to Woz and said "Hey, man, I've got this killer idea for a computer- would make it for me? I'll give you some equity!" It wouldn't have happened. The reason Woz was so dedicated is because it was his computer.
The exact same thing happened with Microsoft. Gates and Allen created a product, and only five years later did they get Ballmer to help them sell it. Software startups these days actually aren't all that different than Apple or Microsoft were in the 70's. You need someone- a Wozniak- to build the product. And only after that, do you need someone- a Jobs- to do all the rest. Hackers, no matter how skilled in business (myself included), will eventually need a "beef-headed M.B.A." to help them.
There's a big difference, here, between a startup in development mode and a startup in sales mode. Startups in development mode don't need a business guy. In fact, it is probably harmful for a development-mode startup to have someone involved who is not working on the product. However, once the startup starts making money, a business type is necessary. Someone is needed to pursue funding, to balance the books, and to manage the marketing effort. Hackers may, technically, be capable of these tasks- but shouldn't do them, because their heart is in the product. A startup in sales mode needs somebody whose heart is not in the product- someone to make clear, unbiased and responsible decisions that benefit the whole company, and not just the product.
At the absolute beginning stages of a software startup, two things are needed: a hacker (or two, or three), and his (or their) idea. Anything else is just an impediment.