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I think startups will soon be at a crossroads once the flaws in the equity compensation system become more widely exposed. People will be dis-incentivized from

I think startups will soon be at a crossroads once the flaws in the equity compensation system become more widely exposed. People will be dis-incentivized from working at startups.

thetmkay 11y ago
Equity can still be an incentive to work at a start-up - it's just not an incentive to take a pay-cut. Start-ups should lose its label as a cash cow - but it can still be: - a well-paying job - high impact - more freedom - good career capital - a lottery ticket
gaius 11y ago
We knew all this in 2000 in the dotcom crash. But along comes a new generation of starry-eyed kids (who are "just smarter" and don't care about experience) and they are just more meat for the grinder.
fit2rule 11y ago
I think the cool kids are running startups where all the data is on the table - i.e. no secrets, but rather all staff have access to all data about the company. This seems to be a trend with European startups, anyway ..
steven2012 11y ago
They've been saying that forever, just like they've been saying "Silicon Valley will suffer a brain drain because people will move away due to the high cost of living." In theory it makes sense, but it never happens in earnest. Working in a startup is much, much more fun that working at a big corporation. I took a paycut several times to go work at startups just because working at a big company where you work on a single API of one of their products gets boring really fast, regardless of the pay.
- xyzzy4 11y ago
  But at a big company you can also spend 2/3 of your time day-dreaming or browsing the Internet. At a startup you need to be more engaged.
  - michaelmurray 11y ago
    100% agree with "2/3 of your time day-dreaming or browsing the Internet"... however one can only take this for so long before going crazy!
    - peterjancelis 11y ago
      Do your own thing on the side. Much better than a few stock options. But make sure to have your project excluded in your IP and non-compete contracts with your employer.
- thedufer 11y ago
  I get the draw of working at startups, but I didn't think it was worth it. The big companies here are offering 2-3x startup salaries (with real room for growth). Is the market here out of whack or is that really a trade people are making?
  - askafriend 11y ago
    I guess the kicker here is "it depends on the startup" and "it depends on the big company".
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
  - rco8786 11y ago
    CV = SV?
    - deleted 11y ago
      [deleted]

I think startups will soon be at a crossroads once the flaws in the equity compensation system become more widely exposed. People will be dis-incentivized from working at startups.

thetmkay 11y ago

Equity can still be an incentive to work at a start-up - it's just not an incentive to take a pay-cut. Start-ups should lose its label as a cash cow - but it can still be: - a well-paying job - high impact - more freedom - good career capital - a lottery ticket

gaius 11y ago

We knew all this in 2000 in the dotcom crash. But along comes a new generation of starry-eyed kids (who are "just smarter" and don't care about experience) and they are just more meat for the grinder.

fit2rule 11y ago

I think the cool kids are running startups where all the data is on the table - i.e. no secrets, but rather all staff have access to all data about the company. This seems to be a trend with European startups, anyway ..

steven2012 11y ago

They've been saying that forever, just like they've been saying "Silicon Valley will suffer a brain drain because people will move away due to the high cost of living." In theory it makes sense, but it never happens in earnest. Working in a startup is much, much more fun that working at a big corporation. I took a paycut several times to go work at startups just because working at a big company where you work on a single API of one of their products gets boring really fast, regardless of the pay.

xyzzy4 11y ago
But at a big company you can also spend 2/3 of your time day-dreaming or browsing the Internet. At a startup you need to be more engaged.
- michaelmurray 11y ago
  100% agree with "2/3 of your time day-dreaming or browsing the Internet"... however one can only take this for so long before going crazy!
  - peterjancelis 11y ago
    Do your own thing on the side. Much better than a few stock options. But make sure to have your project excluded in your IP and non-compete contracts with your employer.
thedufer 11y ago
I get the draw of working at startups, but I didn't think it was worth it. The big companies here are offering 2-3x startup salaries (with real room for growth). Is the market here out of whack or is that really a trade people are making?
- askafriend 11y ago
  I guess the kicker here is "it depends on the startup" and "it depends on the big company".
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
- rco8786 11y ago
  CV = SV?
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]