Is entrepreneurship just an excuse for me to avoid code reviews?

Man, you've hit the nail on the head with this question. Many people have had similar thoughts, but perhaps haven't expressed them so directly.

First off, it's completely normal to be annoyed by code reviews (CRs). Sometimes you think your code is perfect, only for colleagues to pile on a bunch of feedback – formatting, logic, even naming conventions. It feels like your essay has been torn apart by a teacher's red pen, and it's bound to make you feel frustrated. Especially when you encounter overly pedantic or even 'contrarian' colleagues, the CR process can feel like torture.

So, your desire to 'escape' this unpleasant feeling is completely understandable.

But, could starting a business just be an excuse? We need to think this through thoroughly.

Think about it: if you start a business and become the boss, will no one be able to criticize your code anymore? On the surface, yes. You can code however you want, use your favorite style, and no one will tell you 'you should use method A here, not method B'. Sounds great, right?

But in reality, you're just swapping out one set of 'code reviewers' for another, and this new group is far more ruthless and unforgiving.

Who are these people?

Your customers/users: They won't leave comments under your code saying your variable names are bad. Instead, they'll silently uninstall your app because it crashes, lags, or a feature doesn't work, then leave a one-star review in the app store, perhaps adding a comment like 'garbage software'. This 'review' directly impacts your income and survival.
The market itself: The market is the ultimate, most ruthless reviewer. Your product, your entire business model, will be mercilessly 'reviewed' by it. Even if your code is as beautiful as poetry, if your product direction is wrong and users aren't buying it, the market will directly shut you down. It won't give you a chance to 'revise and resubmit'.
Your partners and investors: If you have partners, they'll care about your development progress and product quality, which is essentially a form of review. If you've secured investment, investors will scrutinize your user growth and revenue data – these metrics are the ultimate report card for your 'code'. Poor data will make you feel worse than any code review feedback.

You see, starting a business doesn't free you from the fate of 'being scrutinized'; instead, it elevates the standard of scrutiny from 'how well your code is written' to 'whether your company survives'. This pressure is thousands of times greater than dealing with a few comments from colleagues.

So, let's get back to the root of the problem: why are you annoyed by code reviews?

Is it because you feel colleagues are nitpicking and undermining you?
Or because you find the process cumbersome and a waste of time?
Or is it because you're not confident enough in your own code and fear having issues pointed out?

The essence of code review is actually a mechanism for quality assurance and knowledge transfer. It helps you discover bugs you missed, allows you to learn good ideas from others, and keeps the entire team's technical level aligned. A good CR culture is extremely beneficial for personal growth.

Here's the conclusion:

If starting a business is truly driven by an inner passion to create, solve a societal problem, or realize a great product, then minor things like code reviews won't even be a barrier for you; you'll even actively seek out higher-level 'reviews'.

However, if your primary motivation for starting a business is merely to escape workplace annoyances – like avoiding CRs, arguing with product managers, or writing documentation – then you'll likely find yourself jumping from one pit into a larger, deeper, and more brutal one.

I suggest you calm down first and try to address the CR issues you're currently facing. Is it a communication issue, or a team culture problem? Once you resolve this knot in your mind, you might have a clearer perspective on starting a business. Don't jump into the ocean just to avoid the rain.