Will entrepreneurship make me lonelier than working a regular job?

This is an excellent question, and it's a major concern for many who are considering transitioning from employment to entrepreneurship. I can tell you very directly: Yes, it will be, but it's a completely different kind of loneliness, and you also have the opportunity to gain a much deeper sense of connection than you would as an employee.

That might sound a bit convoluted, so let me break it down for you.

Why is Entrepreneurship Lonelier?

No one can truly empathize. When you were an engineer, if you encountered annoying problems—like a product manager changing requirements again, a bug in the code, or the server crashing in the middle of the night—your colleagues and friends in the same field would understand. You could complain about it together. But after you start a business, your worries will become: Where will next month's salaries come from? What do investors think of us? What if the market doesn't accept our product? When you talk about these issues with your friends who are still employees, they'll find it hard to truly understand your sleepless anxiety. You're like someone climbing a mountain no one has climbed before, while your friends are on another scenic, well-trodden path. The scenery you see and the challenges you face are completely different.
You are the ultimate decision-maker. In a company, if the sky falls, the leaders are there to bear the brunt. As an entrepreneur, you are the one holding up the sky. All pressure ultimately converges on you, and you have to make many difficult decisions. This "loneliness of responsibility" is something you don't experience as an employee. You can't easily show vulnerability or uncertainty to your team because you need to instill confidence in them.
Time is severely squeezed. In the early stages of entrepreneurship, work and life essentially have no boundaries. You naturally reduce many unnecessary social activities and don't have time to attend old gatherings. Gradually, you might feel disconnected from your old social circles.

But Why Might You Not Be So Lonely?

You will have "comrades-in-arms." If you're not going it alone, you'll have co-founders and early employees. These people aren't just simple colleagues; they are individuals who believe in your vision and are willing to stake their careers on your venture. You'll pull all-nighters together, celebrate together, and face crises together. This relationship is called "comrades-in-arms," and it's much deeper than the "everyone's-getting-along" colleague relationships in an office. This "community of mission" feeling is a powerful weapon against loneliness.
You will enter a new circle. You'll meet various investors, other entrepreneurs, and industry veterans. You'll discover a new world filled with people who are just like you—a bit "crazy" yet full of passion. In this circle, you don't need to explain your anxieties because they all understand. This "sense of belonging with peers" is very important.
Your connection with users is more genuine. As an engineer, you might be far removed from the end-user. But as a founder, you will directly face users, hearing them praise your product or fiercely criticize it. This direct, authentic connection will make you feel that what you're doing is very meaningful. You're not working for an abstract KPI, but solving problems for real, living people.

In summary:

The loneliness of employment is more like being in a bustling office where you feel like a replaceable cog, and there are mountains and rivers separating you from the company's grand goals. That's a "loneliness of detachment."

The loneliness of entrepreneurship is more like a captain steering a small boat alone in the deep night, on a vast ocean with no one around, under immense pressure. But you know that the family and partners on board trust you, and you clearly know your destination. This is a "loneliness of responsibility."

So, will entrepreneurship make you lonelier? Yes, it will. But it will also give you an opportunity to build deeper, more meaningful connections. The key lies in how you choose and whether you actively seek out your "comrades-in-arms" and "peers."