I don't think anyone ever suggested it was a choice... PG just said he'd be reluctant to start a startup with a woman who had an infant or was planning to have a baby soon. That doesn't mean he NEVER would.
But if a potential co-founder said, "I have a hobby I can't give up. It can cause me to lose sleep for days or weeks on end (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sleep-t.htm...), cause marital stress, costs a ton of money (about a million bucks over 21 years), is intermittently really loud, and will likely require frequent trips to the doctor", would you be at all reluctant to team up with that person? I would. There are all sorts of things that could cause me to want to pair up with them anyways (lots of money, stay-at-home spouse or in-law, etc), but the bar would be higher.
A baby isn't startup insta-death-- there are plenty of examples of where it has worked out just fine. But it's heaping difficulty, stress, and expense on an already difficult, stressful and expensive exercise.
But if a potential co-founder said, "I have a hobby I can't give up. It can cause me to lose sleep for days or weeks on end (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sleep-t.htm...), cause marital stress, costs a ton of money (about a million bucks over 21 years), is intermittently really loud, and will likely require frequent trips to the doctor", would you be at all reluctant to team up with that person? I would. There are all sorts of things that could cause me to want to pair up with them anyways (lots of money, stay-at-home spouse or in-law, etc), but the bar would be higher.
A baby isn't startup insta-death-- there are plenty of examples of where it has worked out just fine. But it's heaping difficulty, stress, and expense on an already difficult, stressful and expensive exercise.