That's twice you mentioned 'being shot' for failure. Sounds like a real culture of fear. I get the excitement for a chance to innovate the future of computing, but I sometimes get a sense of real Stockholm Syndrome from people at Apple. I personally don't want to work at a place where people are so afraid of failure. Look at Forstall's recent exit. All those years changing the world through computing, and at the end he gets a disgraceful boot out the door.
You can change the world from a growing startup without having to fear for your career at every turn. You can have fun without being afraid. Imagine that!