I'm not sure what you think the "Michael O. Church saga" is. I know him (disclaimer needed?) and he's more successful and connected than you might think based on his "outsider" branding. Besides, as far as I can tell, his attitude toward tech is that it's sick and worth saving than a horrible industry that everyone should avoid.

Michael has had people go to ridiculous extremes to damage his reputation and settle scores, mostly related to his activist position and his irreverence toward authority. On the other hand, he survived the onslaught. He's in Chicago, making more money than most people outside of tech or finance and many in those fields, and if I were to guess, the fact that he was personally attacked by Paul Buchheit and martyred on Quora is going to help him in the long run because, let's face it, that wouldn't have happened if he were a nobody with uninteresting ideas. I have much more good than bad to say about Michael O. Church, but he is definitely milking the free publicity.

So, what are you afraid of? Having a negative experience at a notable company like Google? That can happen, and it's not unique to one person. Losing 5- or 6-figures of opportunity cost on a startup? That can also happen, and it's far from unique to him. Being attacked by Paul Buchheit and banned from Quora? If you're 19, then neither of them will be relevant when you're starting your career. Paul Buchheit and Y Combinator will die with the 2010-17 bubble and Quora will be on the way down. It'll be someone else you have to worry about. And yes, Silicon Valley is rife with petty drama and sometimes (rarely) it affects careers but I wouldn't rule out an entire industry just because there are a few stupid people in it.

Keep in mind, also, that the sort of petty drama that I'm talking about is at a fever pitch because we're in a tech bubble. It won't last. When there's a lot of easy money floating around, reputation and connections mean everything, and the tech industry feels like a high school. When the easy money goes away, substance matters a lot more. The corollary advice is that you almost certainly shouldn't leave college to do a startup now and that there will quite possibly be a lot less petty drama when you're entering this game in 3 years.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4888926&forum_id=2#42866296)