6. You Can't Help Noticing That Everyone Is Stealing from You

Which is actually not the case, but reality be damned. This signpost relates to your need for a bevy of lawyers, and that's because you know you are being attacked on all sides and you need to shore up your defences. And what does that usually entail? Lots of overt threats, including making use of those hordes of lawyers, and perhaps you file a few patents for technologies or business processes that are your intellectual property (like, say, how you should get royalties for the qwerty keyboard configuration). Conversations that start off with statements like, "Our suppliers have been riding our coattails for too long. What should we do about it?" can be heard in your boardroom and conference rooms.

IBM's recent attempt to patent "patent licensing" immediately jumps to mind (though IBM had the good sense to back off soon after the announcement was made).

In addition, you might suspect that all your star employees, once the lifeblood of your burgeoning enterprise, are leaving because your competitors are stealing them away to gain access to all of your most precious secrets (see: Gollum). Call the lawyers!

7. You've Become Much More Secretive and Thus Inspire Loads of Rumours

Your newly hired PR manager makes a lot of sense when she implores you to halt the impending "day in the life" interview for The New York Times. She strongly suggests that you not cooperate with that writer from The Wall Street Journal who's asking tough questions about your hiring practices. You find yourself making statements like, "I'm never taking his calls again!" regarding old acquaintances, or "Why should I ever do business with you?!" to former business partners. ("And don't even think about putting my Mom through again," you frequently scream at your assistant.)

All of the goodwill you've developed over the years with suppliers, partners, vendors and journalists seems threatened-and you couldn't care less. (Thoughts like, "I'm drunk with power and loving every minute of it!" are common.)

8. You Become Too Grandiose for the General Public

You've conquered the tech industry and you've moved on to invading pop culture. Your company's product is a proper noun, a verb, sometimes an adjective, an expression of abundant wealth in certain social circles -- and a swear word in 12 countries. You and your cofounders have way too much money (your stock price soared past $300 a share months ago), and the publicity and fawning news coverage is too much.

The fact is, your amazing success has made everyone sick of hearing about you (even while that same public readily accepts and acknowledges that your company provides a service that is exceptionally good). You may even get a little complacent. And while in your heart of hearts you believe you are not evil -- and maybe you're actually not -- somebody somewhere now perceives that you are. And that person will start an anti-you website. And you will become "evil." Let's call this the Wal-Mart Effect.

In many cases, everyone can feel the schadenfreude that's brewing (watch out: $600-a-share Google). Everyone, of course, except for you. Because it's hard to feel schadenfreude looking at your new wife as you're speeding down the freeway in your new Ferrari.