3 ms·

> I think the title of this article would be better written as "Do startups have an asshole problem?" It just so happened that the asshole problem manifested in

by lj3 10y ago

> I think the title of this article would be better written as "Do startups have an asshole problem?" It just so happened that the asshole problem manifested in terms of alcohol because that's where the author was set up to come into conflict with the assholes. I think startups may have an asshole problem as well, but that's not the context I got from the article. Startups have a much larger problem and that is the insistence that your job is a lifestyle, a culture. It's not enough to show up and do your job well and get along with everybody. You have to fit in as well. If you don't, it affects your future career prospects. Drinking is the norm. It's expected, along with wearing certain clothes, using certain tech stacks and having certain political opinions. There are a multitude of ways not to fit in. Alcohol is just one of them.

awinder 10y ago
Totally agree, but I'd take it in a different direction too, which is that startups have an expertise problem by definition. Most of the stuff in this article that just seemed beyond the pale WAS beyond the pale. But most of that stuff: 1. Came from people who would have definitely not been in C-suite positions at any established company 2. Would have been completely moderated by someone in HR at a traditional company, if not lead to termination / sanction But, because it's a startup, you're getting people who have to do jobs they were never trained to do, or were never a good fit for. Your brainiac CEO may be lacking the soft-skills to actually be responsible for other people, and yet, he's the most qualified to really own the product vision. There's a reason these positions aren't mixed in traditional companies, and there's a reason why your CEO isn't the CEO at a stable company pulling in $$MM in revenue.

3 ms·

> I think the title of this article would be better written as "Do startups have an asshole problem?" It just so happened that the asshole problem manifested in

by lj3 10y ago

awinder 10y ago
Totally agree, but I'd take it in a different direction too, which is that startups have an expertise problem by definition. Most of the stuff in this article that just seemed beyond the pale WAS beyond the pale. But most of that stuff: 1. Came from people who would have definitely not been in C-suite positions at any established company 2. Would have been completely moderated by someone in HR at a traditional company, if not lead to termination / sanction But, because it's a startup, you're getting people who have to do jobs they were never trained to do, or were never a good fit for. Your brainiac CEO may be lacking the soft-skills to actually be responsible for other people, and yet, he's the most qualified to really own the product vision. There's a reason these positions aren't mixed in traditional companies, and there's a reason why your CEO isn't the CEO at a stable company pulling in $$MM in revenue.