Right, the headline is misleading, at least to me. Sleeping on someone's couch usually means said sleeper is having a rough time and needs a roof over their head. I assumed this story was about an investor who turned Joel down, then hit a rough patch and ended up needing to sleep on Joel's couch out of the necessity of shelter.
I doubt Jon has hit a rough patch - perhaps more like, staying with a friendly tech entrepreneur whilst in town rather than spending another night in a hotel room
Right. Jon often lives on the road and spends a ridiculous amount of time helping startups and startup programs. Definitely a 'hard time' in terms of commitment (particularly if you ask his wife;) but far from hard times in the economic sense.
Still, a good story.