21 ms·

Employee 1: Yahoo

337 points by dwaxe 10y ago

JoachimSchipper 10y ago
This is cool, but beware of enormous success becoming too salient - most employee #1's will have a less successful ride...
- davidw 10y ago
  I was thinking the same thing. Some statistics about early employees vs founders might be interesting too.
a_small_island 10y ago
>"Craig : Hahaha." What is the point of including this?
- ianstormtaylor 10y ago
  Off topic, but interesting question I think. I personally liked its addition. If you read it again, the "Hahaha." adds an extra pause that makes the ridiculousness of waiting for the ticker to come on screen sink in. The same way someone telling that story in person would pause. It makes it feel more like a real conversation. Without it the reader would have moved on to the next paragraph too quickly.
- mturmon 10y ago
  I also thought it didn't work. Sometimes it's rendered as: Craig: (laughter) which avoids the somewhat square "hahaha" construction.
- mafribe 10y ago
  I interpret this as a rhetorical technique with the following purposes. - Give the illusion that the interview is raw, unedited, so closer to truth. - Elevates the social status of the interviewer, because he's on joking terms with interviewee.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
hitekker 10y ago
Excellent article; I thought the section copy-pasted below to be a rather non-trivial, unintuitive, and meaningful lesson: > Craig : How was it to ride that wave, especially when the bottom fell out in 2000? > Tim : When things are going well and you’re in a growth industry, you don’t have to deal with many difficult issues. It’s the old cliche, winning solves everything. > Craig : For sure. > Tim : It’s really true. It solves everything… or maybe better said, it masks all your mistakes. A lot of the mistakes you make get masked because you receive almost no negative feedback. > But then the bottom fell out and the board let Tim Koogle go. The upper ranks of management emptied out pretty quick, except for me and the CTO who stuck around. We got a new CEO and set of peers in upper management. Let me just say, I learned a whole lot more about business on the way down than I did on the way up.
- kerryfalk 10y ago
  I've seen this happen in a couple of industries and have joined two companies at the start of the reorg/turnaround. There is a lot to do as until the pressure is on a lot gets ignored and runs inefficiently. It's a different kind of challenge but just as fun.
- brianpan 10y ago
  I don't know if it's apropos to talk sports, but in a very real way this is what happened to the Warriors. They had an historic, record-breaking season that allowed them all sorts of bad habits. In the Finals when they are on the verge of reaching their goal, those bad habits showed and contributed to their falling short. Coach Steve Kerr talked about recognizing those mistakes during the season but it is hard to correct those things when you are winning. Perhaps a good lesson. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2016/06/24/steve-kerr-on/ http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2016/06/24/steve-kerr-...
  - xigency 10y ago
    When I think of the bottom falling out on a team this year, I think of the White Sox. But maybe that's because I'm from Chicago.
bluedino 10y ago
>> Come out to Silicon Valley and get a regular 9 to 5 at a place like at SGI [Silicon Graphics], and then you can moonlight with us. And we’ll see where it goes. That sounds so absurd. Today that would be like, "hey come out here and get a job at Instagram, and them after-hours we'll work on our own thing"
- jacquesm 10y ago
  Interesting that SGI would have to be explained. Once upon a time in computing that was as well known as SUN, Apollo, Commodore and Data-General.
  - srean 10y ago
    I believe Google's Mountain View complex was their campus.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    A decent chunk of people on HN were born way past after Apollo's, Commodore's and Data-General's heyday. And even for SUN, a 20 year programmer today was only 14 or so when the company was sold to Oracle and probably didn't follow the tech industry.
    - douche 10y ago
      Good spaghetti monster, if you don't recognize Sun or C64, you really need to study the history of your industry a little better. I am not that old, that I remember Java before it was mostly abandoned by Oracle.
      - Meegul 10y ago
        I'm familiar with what a C64 is, but I have never seen one in my life. The majority of my fellow undergrad students know next to nothing about the history of computing. But in reality, that's just fine. If our goals are to become functioning software engineers, all that really matters is what's in use now. Provided, a little historical context can help us make some better decisions, but you don't see people coding in ed just so they appreciate their IDE.
overcast 10y ago
"I went there with a positive attitude. The work was interesting. It was rewarding and intellectually challenging. But after a few months, I remember looking at my boss and my boss’ boss, and my boss’ boss’ boss, and saying to myself, “You know what? I don’t want any of their jobs.” I saw how they spent their time and didn’t find it interesting or very rewarding. They spent their time managing meetings and office politics." Exactly my sentiment.
- jshen 10y ago
  I think it's fine to decide you don't want their jobs, but it's a mistake to frame it as "bullshit" which he does after the section you quote. Human nature isn't bullshit, and any endeavor which requires a large number of people to accomplish requires the management of human nature.
  - overcast 10y ago
    No, sitting in meetings all day, essentially accomplishing nothing really is bullshit. Granted, there are some super productive management teams out there, but the majority of time is spent dealing with nonsense politics, and having meetings to schedule meetings. Stereotypes have basis in reality.
    - sverige 10y ago
      Having held a few of those jobs, I understand the sentiment, but that doesn't mean those positions are unnecessary, especially as organizations get beyond a certain size. I understood his take on it to be that it just wasn't for him since he likes to be able to see something he has built in a fairly short timeframe, and at a place like Motorola in the '90s, middle management and probably many of the executives wouldn't get that kind of feedback. From my experience managing managers in big corporations, a lot of the bullshit is created by people who want their own way after a decision has been made. They tend to be the reason meetings are called in the first place, since someone has to make the effort to get everyone moving in the same direction. They are also the most likely to walk around calling bullshit on everything that's happening in the place. There's no need to denigrate the work of the people who spend more of their time than they'd like in meetings trying to get a big company of individuals to cooperate on goals that are set by executives. As an aside, there are people who enjoy the kind of work that doesn't necessarily provide instant feedback. Teachers come to mind. Sure, there are little victories and defeats every day, but at the end of the year, there are times when they sigh and wonder what good it did. Try going to a good teacher's retirement party or funeral sometime and mingle with those who come to pay their respects. You'll often hear things like, "He changed my life" or "I'd probably be in prison now if she hadn't been so patient with me." Similarly, the people who make big organizations actually work have an impact on many lives and on the direction of companies, the effects of which are not always visible for years or decades.
hbhakhra 10y ago
"On one hand, I guess it could be seen as a lack of confidence to not do your own thing. But on the other hand, it could be seen as not letting your ego get in the way of recognizing a good idea. I can see both sides and honestly, I don’t know where the truth lies." Thats an interesting distinction he makes between the type of person it takes to be an early employee vs a founder. Both take on huge risks but as described here its a very different profile.
mathattack 10y ago
I like how he closes. That there are important roles for non-founders who jump in after seeing that an idea is a good thing. On one hand, I guess it could be seen as a lack of confidence to not do your own thing. But on the other hand, it could be seen as not letting your ego get in the way of recognizing a good idea. I can see both sides and honestly, I don’t know where the truth lies. For me, my sweet spot is when I can say, “That’s a great idea. It’s just getting started. Count me in.”
AdamN 10y ago
Step 1: Go to a good school where you cultivate great connections.
- taurath 10y ago
  Step 2: Have parents to pay for that school, that you quit a large company to go to. Granted, he got into stanford fine. He went to high school in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Michigan. Easy to take risks if you already have little to worry about.
daveloyall 10y ago
> [...] the internet was used exclusively for the > non-commercial sharing of information at the time. The idea > of commercializing the internet wasn’t accepted by the very > people using the internet. Of course, the number of people > and the demographics of those people were rapidly changing. --Tim Brady, about the creation of the first f*^#&*! banner ad
nodesocket 10y ago
Would be interesting to hear how much equity he got as employee #1? What was the vesting schedule and terms?
taurath 10y ago
I do always love the underdog stories, but then you get to "I had to explain to my parents, who were paying my way through [Harvard] Business School". I realize a lot of people here had their educations paid for or at least got some hereditary assistance. Not sour grapes here - I'm happy with where I am from what I've had. I do hope people see how many more options become open to people though with parental support.
cdnsteve 10y ago
I miss the old yahoo in its heyday. I remember hearing their radio commercials .. yahoooo! Sounds like a great ride.
cryptozeus 10y ago
Please do audio/podcast of this if possible
steve371 10y ago
It is get to my heart >I need to point to something and say to myself ‘that’s what I’ve been building.’ But then reality kick in. You want money, you want good work/life balance. Well, it is hard to have them all sometime, imho.
the_arun 10y ago
He nailed it in these few sentences > I remember looking at my boss and my boss’ boss, and my boss’ boss’ boss, and saying to myself, “You know what? I don’t want any of their jobs.” I saw how they spent their time and didn’t find it interesting or very rewarding. They spent their time managing meetings and office politics. > This wasn’t my vision of what work was. To me, work was doing and making things and being able to see the fruits of that labor. At the end of the day or at least after a short period of time, I need to point to something and say to myself ‘that’s what I’ve been building.’

337 points by dwaxe 10y ago

This is cool, but beware of enormous success becoming too salient - most employee #1's will have a less successful ride...

davidw 10y ago
I was thinking the same thing. Some statistics about early employees vs founders might be interesting too.

a_small_island 10y ago

>"Craig : Hahaha." What is the point of including this?

ianstormtaylor 10y ago
Off topic, but interesting question I think. I personally liked its addition. If you read it again, the "Hahaha." adds an extra pause that makes the ridiculousness of waiting for the ticker to come on screen sink in. The same way someone telling that story in person would pause. It makes it feel more like a real conversation. Without it the reader would have moved on to the next paragraph too quickly.
mturmon 10y ago
I also thought it didn't work. Sometimes it's rendered as: Craig: (laughter) which avoids the somewhat square "hahaha" construction.
mafribe 10y ago
I interpret this as a rhetorical technique with the following purposes. - Give the illusion that the interview is raw, unedited, so closer to truth. - Elevates the social status of the interviewer, because he's on joking terms with interviewee.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

hitekker 10y ago

Excellent article; I thought the section copy-pasted below to be a rather non-trivial, unintuitive, and meaningful lesson: > Craig : How was it to ride that wave, especially when the bottom fell out in 2000? > Tim : When things are going well and you’re in a growth industry, you don’t have to deal with many difficult issues. It’s the old cliche, winning solves everything. > Craig : For sure. > Tim : It’s really true. It solves everything… or maybe better said, it masks all your mistakes. A lot of the mistakes you make get masked because you receive almost no negative feedback. > But then the bottom fell out and the board let Tim Koogle go. The upper ranks of management emptied out pretty quick, except for me and the CTO who stuck around. We got a new CEO and set of peers in upper management. Let me just say, I learned a whole lot more about business on the way down than I did on the way up.

kerryfalk 10y ago
I've seen this happen in a couple of industries and have joined two companies at the start of the reorg/turnaround. There is a lot to do as until the pressure is on a lot gets ignored and runs inefficiently. It's a different kind of challenge but just as fun.
brianpan 10y ago
I don't know if it's apropos to talk sports, but in a very real way this is what happened to the Warriors. They had an historic, record-breaking season that allowed them all sorts of bad habits. In the Finals when they are on the verge of reaching their goal, those bad habits showed and contributed to their falling short. Coach Steve Kerr talked about recognizing those mistakes during the season but it is hard to correct those things when you are winning. Perhaps a good lesson. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2016/06/24/steve-kerr-on/ http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2016/06/24/steve-kerr-...
- xigency 10y ago
  When I think of the bottom falling out on a team this year, I think of the White Sox. But maybe that's because I'm from Chicago.

bluedino 10y ago

>> Come out to Silicon Valley and get a regular 9 to 5 at a place like at SGI [Silicon Graphics], and then you can moonlight with us. And we’ll see where it goes. That sounds so absurd. Today that would be like, "hey come out here and get a job at Instagram, and them after-hours we'll work on our own thing"

jacquesm 10y ago
Interesting that SGI would have to be explained. Once upon a time in computing that was as well known as SUN, Apollo, Commodore and Data-General.
- srean 10y ago
  I believe Google's Mountain View complex was their campus.
- coldtea 10y ago
  A decent chunk of people on HN were born way past after Apollo's, Commodore's and Data-General's heyday. And even for SUN, a 20 year programmer today was only 14 or so when the company was sold to Oracle and probably didn't follow the tech industry.
  - douche 10y ago
    Good spaghetti monster, if you don't recognize Sun or C64, you really need to study the history of your industry a little better. I am not that old, that I remember Java before it was mostly abandoned by Oracle.
    - Meegul 10y ago
      I'm familiar with what a C64 is, but I have never seen one in my life. The majority of my fellow undergrad students know next to nothing about the history of computing. But in reality, that's just fine. If our goals are to become functioning software engineers, all that really matters is what's in use now. Provided, a little historical context can help us make some better decisions, but you don't see people coding in ed just so they appreciate their IDE.

overcast 10y ago

"I went there with a positive attitude. The work was interesting. It was rewarding and intellectually challenging. But after a few months, I remember looking at my boss and my boss’ boss, and my boss’ boss’ boss, and saying to myself, “You know what? I don’t want any of their jobs.” I saw how they spent their time and didn’t find it interesting or very rewarding. They spent their time managing meetings and office politics." Exactly my sentiment.

jshen 10y ago
I think it's fine to decide you don't want their jobs, but it's a mistake to frame it as "bullshit" which he does after the section you quote. Human nature isn't bullshit, and any endeavor which requires a large number of people to accomplish requires the management of human nature.
- overcast 10y ago
  No, sitting in meetings all day, essentially accomplishing nothing really is bullshit. Granted, there are some super productive management teams out there, but the majority of time is spent dealing with nonsense politics, and having meetings to schedule meetings. Stereotypes have basis in reality.
  - sverige 10y ago
    Having held a few of those jobs, I understand the sentiment, but that doesn't mean those positions are unnecessary, especially as organizations get beyond a certain size. I understood his take on it to be that it just wasn't for him since he likes to be able to see something he has built in a fairly short timeframe, and at a place like Motorola in the '90s, middle management and probably many of the executives wouldn't get that kind of feedback. From my experience managing managers in big corporations, a lot of the bullshit is created by people who want their own way after a decision has been made. They tend to be the reason meetings are called in the first place, since someone has to make the effort to get everyone moving in the same direction. They are also the most likely to walk around calling bullshit on everything that's happening in the place. There's no need to denigrate the work of the people who spend more of their time than they'd like in meetings trying to get a big company of individuals to cooperate on goals that are set by executives. As an aside, there are people who enjoy the kind of work that doesn't necessarily provide instant feedback. Teachers come to mind. Sure, there are little victories and defeats every day, but at the end of the year, there are times when they sigh and wonder what good it did. Try going to a good teacher's retirement party or funeral sometime and mingle with those who come to pay their respects. You'll often hear things like, "He changed my life" or "I'd probably be in prison now if she hadn't been so patient with me." Similarly, the people who make big organizations actually work have an impact on many lives and on the direction of companies, the effects of which are not always visible for years or decades.

hbhakhra 10y ago

"On one hand, I guess it could be seen as a lack of confidence to not do your own thing. But on the other hand, it could be seen as not letting your ego get in the way of recognizing a good idea. I can see both sides and honestly, I don’t know where the truth lies." Thats an interesting distinction he makes between the type of person it takes to be an early employee vs a founder. Both take on huge risks but as described here its a very different profile.

mathattack 10y ago

I like how he closes. That there are important roles for non-founders who jump in after seeing that an idea is a good thing. On one hand, I guess it could be seen as a lack of confidence to not do your own thing. But on the other hand, it could be seen as not letting your ego get in the way of recognizing a good idea. I can see both sides and honestly, I don’t know where the truth lies. For me, my sweet spot is when I can say, “That’s a great idea. It’s just getting started. Count me in.”

AdamN 10y ago

Step 1: Go to a good school where you cultivate great connections.

taurath 10y ago
Step 2: Have parents to pay for that school, that you quit a large company to go to. Granted, he got into stanford fine. He went to high school in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Michigan. Easy to take risks if you already have little to worry about.

daveloyall 10y ago

> [...] the internet was used exclusively for the > non-commercial sharing of information at the time. The idea > of commercializing the internet wasn’t accepted by the very > people using the internet. Of course, the number of people > and the demographics of those people were rapidly changing. --Tim Brady, about the creation of the first f*^#&*! banner ad

nodesocket 10y ago

Would be interesting to hear how much equity he got as employee #1? What was the vesting schedule and terms?

taurath 10y ago

I do always love the underdog stories, but then you get to "I had to explain to my parents, who were paying my way through [Harvard] Business School". I realize a lot of people here had their educations paid for or at least got some hereditary assistance. Not sour grapes here - I'm happy with where I am from what I've had. I do hope people see how many more options become open to people though with parental support.

cdnsteve 10y ago

I miss the old yahoo in its heyday. I remember hearing their radio commercials .. yahoooo! Sounds like a great ride.

cryptozeus 10y ago

Please do audio/podcast of this if possible

steve371 10y ago

It is get to my heart >I need to point to something and say to myself ‘that’s what I’ve been building.’ But then reality kick in. You want money, you want good work/life balance. Well, it is hard to have them all sometime, imho.

the_arun 10y ago

He nailed it in these few sentences > I remember looking at my boss and my boss’ boss, and my boss’ boss’ boss, and saying to myself, “You know what? I don’t want any of their jobs.” I saw how they spent their time and didn’t find it interesting or very rewarding. They spent their time managing meetings and office politics. > This wasn’t my vision of what work was. To me, work was doing and making things and being able to see the fruits of that labor. At the end of the day or at least after a short period of time, I need to point to something and say to myself ‘that’s what I’ve been building.’