Why doesn't anyone want to build companies anymore?

It seems that today, the light at the end of the startup tunnel is either (1) being acquired or (2) a billion-dollar IPO. Let’s just throw out the IPO - it’s incredibly rare.

This means that many startups are created with an explicit goal to not exist in five-or-so years. Does anyone see something wrong with this?

No one talks about starting a company that becomes an extension of yourself. Warren Buffet and Berkshire Hathaway. Apple and Steve Jobs. Starbucks and Howard Schultz. Amazon and Jeff Bezos.

Why?