Yes, startups and small companies can get things done more quickly. There's many reasons, but mainly I think it's that the system isn't very complex yet. Your first line of code has -nothing- that it can wreck. Your first system can't interfere with any of your other systems. Your first update can't regress any bugfixes.<p>The longer you've been in business, the more complex your company's systems are going to be. A certain amount can be done to minimize this, but only so much.<p>Also, the longer you've been in business, the more customers you have, and the more those customers rely on you.<p>And once you've gotten the system stable enough to sign contracts that include SLAs, you have that to worry about.<p>In a properly run company, those meetings exist because they are needed to keep the company on track and avoid hemorrhaging money due to bugs and mistakes.