I think very few people can get away with not caring what others say about them. What people think of you DOES matter. We don't live in an isolated bubble and interactions matter. You seem to be proposing that PR people can handle things once you're successful, however, my impression is (and odds are) this advice is for startup founders before they are fuck you rich. If you're Bill Gates already, sure, do whatever the hell you want (Mind you I think he's doing amazing things for humanity at this point instead of being a dick on a beach in thailand). But if not, this attitude just won't help you or your company.
If you believe that what you are doing is good for the world, should it matter what people think of you? I bet a lot of people think that Gregory Maxwell or Aaron Swartz are criminals.
I think that having strong beliefs/goals is much more important then bowing to the general social pressures of the day. If you have strong beliefs, and you think what you are doing is good/right for the world, then it should't matter what people think. The world might not agree with you, and your ideas might fail miserably. Fortunately, we are lucky enough to be part of a community and where failure is looked upon favourably.
