5 ms·

Honestly I don't think they're bad. I have a lot of respect for a lot of the dev team and the product itself, which is why I'm so vague on details. Like I said

Honestly I don't think they're bad. I have a lot of respect for a lot of the dev team and the product itself, which is why I'm so vague on details. Like I said in the post, I'm fairly private and didn't bring much up with anyone until the end, so I don't think anyone understood the situation. Actually one of the things that was encouraging during the past few months was remarks from former employees that [CEO] is a dick, but [Company] pay is what makes it worth it.

thedz 11y ago
Any startup with a CEO that you're describing (and how he treats people) is a startup that I don't want to support, regardless of product.
cwilkes 11y ago
If I were a dev there I would start looking for another job -- a CEO that can string an individual along like that probably has no qualms about screwing other people. It is only a matter of time before (s)he does it again and fires someone for being "disloyal" So don't look at it as a fault with you as you just happened to be the person it happened to on that day. Also for a laugh / attitude change take a look at this flowchart [1] which is geared to graphic designers who always get asked to do work for free. In your case substitute "intern" in there and "reduced salary" for free. You've got a lot of valuable skills and people should pay accordingly. Don't be afraid to ask for a reasonable salary, even if it was 2x what you were making before. While this sounds easy to do, practice doing it with some friends in a mock interview. You want to be prepared when going in for an interview and not asking for the right salary is a big mistake a lot of programmers make as they want to avoid confrontation. Become comfortable with asking it and you'll get what you want. [1] http://shouldiworkforfree.com/ http://shouldiworkforfree.com/
onion2k 11y ago
If you don't name names you might as well be condoning what happened to you, and damning other people to the same fate. The only way to stop this sort of thing happening is for CEOs to realise there is a very big downside risk of being outed as an unethical business.
- mikekchar 11y ago
  That's great if your life doesn't hang in the balance. Maybe if he gets another job first, but naming names, even if it is for great justice is not going to help him one little bit right now.
HiYaBarbie 11y ago
For the record, your boss there is a psychopath, which means he's physically incapable of feeling remorse or guilt, and has no conscience. That's why he was able and willing to screw you over like that. Here's a brief overview: http://www.sociopathworld.com/p/portrait-of-sociopath.html http://www.sociopathworld.com/p/portrait-of-sociopath.html .. but the rabbit hole goes pretty fucking deep. While I sympathize with your situation, it serves as a good reminder to others that you should put off having kids until you're financially secure. On a more positive note, just "fake it till you make it", and everything will be alright. There are plenty of dev jobs out there.
- fsloth 11y ago
  Remote diagnosis of people is not advisable. It's good to be aware of these facts, sure. Reading a one sided three paragraph description is not sufficient evidence.
  - HiYaBarbie 11y ago
    One central reason for why psychopaths are having such a great time in the world is that we keep giving them the benefit of the doubt. In general, it's good to be "rigorous", but in this case, it's not.
    - fsloth 11y ago
      I'm not comfortable in general about the idea of labeling people based on their neurological makeup, unless one is in a therapeutic/psychiatric setting. In a relationship or work setting, people should be mainly judged by their actions. Hurtful things should not be ignored and people should be made responsible for their actions. I agree it's good to be aware of typical pathological personality types so people who end up in relationships with them have some framework to work with their problems and even identify a bad case and leave. Sure, taking advantage of people is a thing that comes easily to psychopaths. But there are lots of other personality disorders and ways to act like one. Was the CEO actually lying or just trying to squirm out of an emotionally uncomfortable position for as long as possible? The situation sucks for the OP and there are absolutely horrible employers, even psychopaths out there - but really, there's not enough data to make those claims even if you are an experienced therapist or a psychiatrist.
mcv 11y ago
It's totally possible there are many excellent people working at that company, but the boss is pure evil. It's pretty clear to you too that he's the one being disloyal, and a lot more than just that. He screwed you because he could, and he lied to you about it for months. Feel no loyalty to the guy. That said, revenge can only hurt you. You need a job, and unless you have a legal case against him, there's nothing you can do about him right now. You need to think about you and your family, not about the shitty boss.

thedz 11y ago

Any startup with a CEO that you're describing (and how he treats people) is a startup that I don't want to support, regardless of product.

cwilkes 11y ago

If I were a dev there I would start looking for another job -- a CEO that can string an individual along like that probably has no qualms about screwing other people. It is only a matter of time before (s)he does it again and fires someone for being "disloyal" So don't look at it as a fault with you as you just happened to be the person it happened to on that day. Also for a laugh / attitude change take a look at this flowchart [1] which is geared to graphic designers who always get asked to do work for free. In your case substitute "intern" in there and "reduced salary" for free. You've got a lot of valuable skills and people should pay accordingly. Don't be afraid to ask for a reasonable salary, even if it was 2x what you were making before. While this sounds easy to do, practice doing it with some friends in a mock interview. You want to be prepared when going in for an interview and not asking for the right salary is a big mistake a lot of programmers make as they want to avoid confrontation. Become comfortable with asking it and you'll get what you want. [1] http://shouldiworkforfree.com/ http://shouldiworkforfree.com/

onion2k 11y ago

If you don't name names you might as well be condoning what happened to you, and damning other people to the same fate. The only way to stop this sort of thing happening is for CEOs to realise there is a very big downside risk of being outed as an unethical business.

mikekchar 11y ago
That's great if your life doesn't hang in the balance. Maybe if he gets another job first, but naming names, even if it is for great justice is not going to help him one little bit right now.

HiYaBarbie 11y ago

For the record, your boss there is a psychopath, which means he's physically incapable of feeling remorse or guilt, and has no conscience. That's why he was able and willing to screw you over like that. Here's a brief overview: http://www.sociopathworld.com/p/portrait-of-sociopath.html http://www.sociopathworld.com/p/portrait-of-sociopath.html .. but the rabbit hole goes pretty fucking deep. While I sympathize with your situation, it serves as a good reminder to others that you should put off having kids until you're financially secure. On a more positive note, just "fake it till you make it", and everything will be alright. There are plenty of dev jobs out there.

fsloth 11y ago
Remote diagnosis of people is not advisable. It's good to be aware of these facts, sure. Reading a one sided three paragraph description is not sufficient evidence.
- HiYaBarbie 11y ago
  One central reason for why psychopaths are having such a great time in the world is that we keep giving them the benefit of the doubt. In general, it's good to be "rigorous", but in this case, it's not.
  - fsloth 11y ago
    I'm not comfortable in general about the idea of labeling people based on their neurological makeup, unless one is in a therapeutic/psychiatric setting. In a relationship or work setting, people should be mainly judged by their actions. Hurtful things should not be ignored and people should be made responsible for their actions. I agree it's good to be aware of typical pathological personality types so people who end up in relationships with them have some framework to work with their problems and even identify a bad case and leave. Sure, taking advantage of people is a thing that comes easily to psychopaths. But there are lots of other personality disorders and ways to act like one. Was the CEO actually lying or just trying to squirm out of an emotionally uncomfortable position for as long as possible? The situation sucks for the OP and there are absolutely horrible employers, even psychopaths out there - but really, there's not enough data to make those claims even if you are an experienced therapist or a psychiatrist.

mcv 11y ago

It's totally possible there are many excellent people working at that company, but the boss is pure evil. It's pretty clear to you too that he's the one being disloyal, and a lot more than just that. He screwed you because he could, and he lied to you about it for months. Feel no loyalty to the guy. That said, revenge can only hurt you. You need a job, and unless you have a legal case against him, there's nothing you can do about him right now. You need to think about you and your family, not about the shitty boss.