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I bullish on Zenefits, the 'scandal' seemed highly manufactured. So much ink spilled over 'The Macro'. Any member of HN would have likely done the same thin

I bullish on Zenefits, the 'scandal' seemed highly manufactured. So much ink spilled over 'The Macro'. Any member of HN would have likely done the same thing. The sales staff used very common software to avoid starring at a screen for a legally mandated 52 hours to avoid what is basically just layers of industry protectionism. It didn't pass the tests for them. The other things called out also seem like cheap shots like throwing parties for high preforming sales staff or not having a lot of backend automation which no startup has and which might not even be possible giving the partners they need to work with and the backward state of many of these protected industries.

jimbo999 10y ago
What do you mean by "just layers of industry protectionism"? Are you referring to labor law?
- siliconc0w 10y ago
  I'm referring to compliance/licensing requirements that have little to do with protecting consumers and everything to do with creating barriers of entry. Things like 'mandatory hours of instruction' which in no way translate to useful applicable knowledge. See also real estate broker or bar exams.
  - colechristensen 10y ago
    Wait, why do you think the state bar associations, their admission processes, and the requirements that attorneys pass them are bad?
    - stickfigure 10y ago
      Why do you think they are good? Serious question - would you comfortably hire an attorney based solely on a pass/fail credential?
      - rtpg 10y ago
        more poignantly: would you ever hire an attorney who could not pass the bar exam?
        sten 10y ago
        That’s apples to oranges. Would you hire a programmer who hadn’t gone to University?
        jazzyk 10y ago
        Actually, I would. There are not too many left, but I worked with a couple of people who did not have a college degree. They were certainly competent enough.
  - dfsegoat 10y ago
    Yeah, those are called "regulatory requirements" - they are sort of the backbone in terms of keeping people / consumers / employees safe and sane...
    - natrius 10y ago
      Some regulations help customers. Some regulations hurt customers by protecting incumbents in an industry.
mbesto 10y ago
> Any member of HN would have likely done the same thing. Speak for yourself.
bambax 10y ago
Well, yes, many of those "disrupting" startups operate by ignoring regulations, until they get big enough that they can rewrite the rules themselves. That's what Uber and Airbnb did. It's to be expected that some would get caught. Also (OT), the two images that illustrate the article are slightly, but very visibly, out of focus. I hope it's not some new trend, because it's quite annoying.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
jgalt212 10y ago
I'm pretty much on the same page as you. I don't really see much of a difference between Conrad and (Travis and Brian). Yet, instead of getting ousted, Brian has Obama and many other important people saying nice things about him.

jimbo999 10y ago

What do you mean by "just layers of industry protectionism"? Are you referring to labor law?

siliconc0w 10y ago
I'm referring to compliance/licensing requirements that have little to do with protecting consumers and everything to do with creating barriers of entry. Things like 'mandatory hours of instruction' which in no way translate to useful applicable knowledge. See also real estate broker or bar exams.
- colechristensen 10y ago
  Wait, why do you think the state bar associations, their admission processes, and the requirements that attorneys pass them are bad?
  - stickfigure 10y ago
    Why do you think they are good? Serious question - would you comfortably hire an attorney based solely on a pass/fail credential?
    - rtpg 10y ago
      more poignantly: would you ever hire an attorney who could not pass the bar exam?
      - sten 10y ago
        That’s apples to oranges. Would you hire a programmer who hadn’t gone to University?
        jazzyk 10y ago
        Actually, I would. There are not too many left, but I worked with a couple of people who did not have a college degree. They were certainly competent enough.
- dfsegoat 10y ago
  Yeah, those are called "regulatory requirements" - they are sort of the backbone in terms of keeping people / consumers / employees safe and sane...
  - natrius 10y ago
    Some regulations help customers. Some regulations hurt customers by protecting incumbents in an industry.

mbesto 10y ago

> Any member of HN would have likely done the same thing. Speak for yourself.

bambax 10y ago

Well, yes, many of those "disrupting" startups operate by ignoring regulations, until they get big enough that they can rewrite the rules themselves. That's what Uber and Airbnb did. It's to be expected that some would get caught. Also (OT), the two images that illustrate the article are slightly, but very visibly, out of focus. I hope it's not some new trend, because it's quite annoying.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

jgalt212 10y ago

I'm pretty much on the same page as you. I don't really see much of a difference between Conrad and (Travis and Brian). Yet, instead of getting ousted, Brian has Obama and many other important people saying nice things about him.