Brain Drain.

• Position: Brief Article

The appeal of being an entrepreneur appears to be siphoning a significant number of people who otherwise would have gone into corporate life, resulting in a critical challenge to corporate America. That's one finding from a recent survey of "netrepreneurs" -- the new term for Internet entrepreneurs -- by Ernst & Young.

A clear majority -- 67 percent -- of those surveyed see themselves as pioneers drawn to "a new frontier." And 59 percent see netrepreneurialism as "an appealing alternative to the traditional corporate ladder." Indeed, more than a quarter -- 27 percent -- say they'd have donned the proverbial gray flannel suit had the Internet not existed. But regardless of the what-if's, netrepreneurs appear to be unusually ambitious -- respondents say they plan to start five...