How old does a startup need to get before you cant call it a startup anymore? Or is age independant of startup status?

I'd say it depends on the number of employees and profit margin.

Startup usually means a small team getting funds from investors as it produces little or no profit. If it has more than 10 employees, you can't directly contact the CEO and it's already doing big bucks then I wouldn't call it a startup. Just my opinion.

10 years

// Joke. In case people thought it's legit answer

If it's past Series B, it's just a regular company. To call it a startup after that is just succumbing to buzzword fever. It's also insulting to the founders and employees.

They can stop calling themselves a start-up once they pay a decent salary.

Start-up culture is also used as an excuse to pay less and to expect people to work overtime. Sometimes, they even acknowledge that they are paying too less, and then they highlight the friendly environment (ping pong table, free drinks!) or offer some high-risk future rewards (shares) that won't pay your current bills.

There's no clear definition for it, since it depends on what you consider "recently"

So, basically it stops being a startup when you stop thinking of it as one

Usually 3 years for the startup offerings you will get from the tech companies

@cursee Is that in decimal or binary? 😉

Usually once they no longer rely on investments and aren't just a black hole for money.

When it becomes profitable and has a steady stream of customers.

When the founders start taking their salaries at market rate