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Same here. Also would add a compounding series of negative results including depression, being almost shadow-banned from the business due to lack of optimism (

Same here. Also would add a compounding series of negative results including depression, being almost shadow-banned from the business due to lack of optimism (no joke), then alcohol problems etc I'd take a bet there are many many others on HN that can attest to this outcome, but lurk due to shame or emotional pain. Losing everything because of misjudgment is not an easy thing to admit to publicly, especially in a community so warped with the cult of survivor bias

amorphid 11y ago
Yeah, the downward spiral towards being on the rocks was just as bad, if not worse, than being homeless. Watching your bank account dry up is not fun. Coming to the realization that your friends and family can't, or won't, be able to catch you when you hit bottom is pretty sobering. Not having the skills necessary to negotiate not having a place to live is terrifying. It's weird getting to the point where you might not even be able to pay for your cell phone bill. And being depressed is, well, depressing. I have no intention of ever reliving that experience.
cableshaft 11y ago
I've worked for two failed early startups. Gained a lot of knowledge in a short period of time, wore a lot of hats, did work I was passionate about, but also stressed out about making the right decisions or the company could shut down (the final decisions were made by the management, but I had influence over their decisions), extremely long hours, no social life, rapidly deteriorating health, screwed up my finances, etc. But I'm a few years away from it now, and I don't mind admitting it. The startups failed for reasons outside of me for the most part (although it feels a little funny knowing you're at least partially responsible for a company losing two million dollars), and I don't regret having that experience. If anything, working for a corporation again and working on stuff I'm not too passionate about makes me itch for going back to a small company again, but I still need the stability to get my finances back in order and start losing the weight I put on during that time, plus I have a social life now, which is hard to give all that up for someone else's 'grand vision'. As for misjudgment, from my experience, a lot of the "bad decisions" made in those startups actually made sense at the time and with the information available at the time of the decision. It was only with the benefit of hindsight and perspective that you can see why ultimately they were bad decisions.

amorphid 11y ago

Yeah, the downward spiral towards being on the rocks was just as bad, if not worse, than being homeless. Watching your bank account dry up is not fun. Coming to the realization that your friends and family can't, or won't, be able to catch you when you hit bottom is pretty sobering. Not having the skills necessary to negotiate not having a place to live is terrifying. It's weird getting to the point where you might not even be able to pay for your cell phone bill. And being depressed is, well, depressing. I have no intention of ever reliving that experience.

cableshaft 11y ago

I've worked for two failed early startups. Gained a lot of knowledge in a short period of time, wore a lot of hats, did work I was passionate about, but also stressed out about making the right decisions or the company could shut down (the final decisions were made by the management, but I had influence over their decisions), extremely long hours, no social life, rapidly deteriorating health, screwed up my finances, etc. But I'm a few years away from it now, and I don't mind admitting it. The startups failed for reasons outside of me for the most part (although it feels a little funny knowing you're at least partially responsible for a company losing two million dollars), and I don't regret having that experience. If anything, working for a corporation again and working on stuff I'm not too passionate about makes me itch for going back to a small company again, but I still need the stability to get my finances back in order and start losing the weight I put on during that time, plus I have a social life now, which is hard to give all that up for someone else's 'grand vision'. As for misjudgment, from my experience, a lot of the "bad decisions" made in those startups actually made sense at the time and with the information available at the time of the decision. It was only with the benefit of hindsight and perspective that you can see why ultimately they were bad decisions.