4 ms·

Who are you to judge her priorities? Watching an infant can be brain numbingly tedious, and so can sitting in waiting rooms for hours at a medical office. Mayb

Who are you to judge her priorities? Watching an infant can be brain numbingly tedious, and so can sitting in waiting rooms for hours at a medical office. Maybe the startup gives her husband a positive distraction to focus on instead of his treatment and it gives them something good to talk about. You have no idea. A startup might be the perfect antidote to balance out her other duties to her family. Remember that all people are not equal, some people are in the top 1% of population for energy, or IQ, or organization, or even with a need for sleep. Aka do not attempt to measure this woman against the "norm", she is probably very very capable and can handle everything better than most. All of us have a unique blend of skills and abilities, and it takes less effort for some of us to fulfill priorities than others.

annekate 10y ago
I am her cofounder and I can verify she is not normal. She is exceptionally capable, hard-working and focused. When she is with her kid she is 100% a mom. When she is at work she is 100% a founder. When her husband needs her, she is there; she managed all of his care, down to staying up late reading medical research papers so she could understand his test results. A lot of people would have given up. I certainly wouldn't have blamed her for a second if she had. She chose to fight and I'll be damned if she isn't winning. It's inspiring to see.
BadCookie 10y ago
Obviously, she can do what she wants with her life, but by writing about her decisions, she has invited people to comment on her experiences. I've dealt with a newborn. It is soooo stressful and exhausting. I have dealt with serious health problems. Even more stressful. I have almost a decade of startup experience (though not as a founder). Also stressful. For 99.9% of people, and maybe more, combining the three is a recipe for disaster. Apparently she got lucky and it worked out, but I really hate this message that people can "have it all" because life doesn't work like that. There are always trade offs.
- ladytron 10y ago
  This post is written for that .1% then, and probably not for you. Founders are very different people, with very different energy levels and risk profiles than the general population, or even the population of startup employees. Some of us CAN have it all, and there are not always trade offs for us compared to the "norm". For example, some can excel in multiple college varsity sports while holding a 4.0 in EE, when most college students play club ball and feel overwhelmed getting their homework done. I would like you to entertain the thought that others may have 10x more capacity than yourself. My goodness, let Hacker News be at least one place where unique women feel free to be honest about their drive, ambition, and productivity.

annekate 10y ago

I am her cofounder and I can verify she is not normal. She is exceptionally capable, hard-working and focused. When she is with her kid she is 100% a mom. When she is at work she is 100% a founder. When her husband needs her, she is there; she managed all of his care, down to staying up late reading medical research papers so she could understand his test results. A lot of people would have given up. I certainly wouldn't have blamed her for a second if she had. She chose to fight and I'll be damned if she isn't winning. It's inspiring to see.

BadCookie 10y ago

Obviously, she can do what she wants with her life, but by writing about her decisions, she has invited people to comment on her experiences. I've dealt with a newborn. It is soooo stressful and exhausting. I have dealt with serious health problems. Even more stressful. I have almost a decade of startup experience (though not as a founder). Also stressful. For 99.9% of people, and maybe more, combining the three is a recipe for disaster. Apparently she got lucky and it worked out, but I really hate this message that people can "have it all" because life doesn't work like that. There are always trade offs.

ladytron 10y ago
This post is written for that .1% then, and probably not for you. Founders are very different people, with very different energy levels and risk profiles than the general population, or even the population of startup employees. Some of us CAN have it all, and there are not always trade offs for us compared to the "norm". For example, some can excel in multiple college varsity sports while holding a 4.0 in EE, when most college students play club ball and feel overwhelmed getting their homework done. I would like you to entertain the thought that others may have 10x more capacity than yourself. My goodness, let Hacker News be at least one place where unique women feel free to be honest about their drive, ambition, and productivity.