5 ms·

Reconsider (2015)

52 points by activatedgeek 10y ago

cixin 10y ago
Ok, I agree. We shouldn't all really want to be unicorns, it doesn't make sense. However, many startups need outside invest. It's certainly a lot easier if you have it. It's not just that founders want to unicorns, it's that this is what VCs what to hear (at least that there's a chance). Many founders I've met had an initial vision that was they modified, most likely for the "worse" after talking to investors and trying to figure out what they wanted to hear. It's quite sad, but what are the alternatives for startups that need some financing?
- jot 10y ago
  Here's one alternative: http://v1.indie.vc/ http://v1.indie.vc/
andrewl-hn 10y ago
Past discussion, when the post was on dhh's own Medium page https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10506422 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10506422
logicallee 10y ago
He wrote a lot about how he didn't play the raising money game. Okay, I said to myself: this will be interesting. He'll write about what he knows. I'll get a glimpse into this life and what it's like to live it. Maybe he has more time for oil painting and reading fiction than any Musk or Zuckerberg I've ever read anything by. Maybe I'll decide to do things the same way he did. But then for some reason, after he began by stating he did not try to make a dent in the Universe or raise $100m - he proceeds to write about what it's like to do so. How would he know? This irrelevant stuff about stuff he doesn't know about is just noise. Because he doesn't know. If he wants me to pay attention to him (and the post is titled "reconsider") he needs to write why. Not piss on someone else's corn flakes. It sounds like sour grapes to me. I mean, why even write about something you don't know? Write what you do know... >So first you take a lot of money from angels desperate to not miss out on the next big unicorn. Then you take an obscene amount of money from VCs to inflate your top-line growth, to entice the investment bankers that you might be worthy of foisting upon the public markets, eventually, or a suitable tech behemoth. If you say so...
- sytse 10y ago
  > He'll write about what he knows. I'll get a glimpse into this life and what it's like to live it. Maybe he has more time for oil painting and reading fiction than any Musk or Zuckerberg I've ever read anything by. Maybe I'll decide to do things the same way he did. He made and maintains Ruby on Rails and in 2014 won his class in the 82nd running of the 24 hours of Le Mans. Other things he has more time for are listed at the top of http://david.heinemeierhansson.com/ http://david.heinemeierhansson.com/
  - logicallee 10y ago
    But this whole article doesn't even mention any of that, even in passing.
- manmal 10y ago
  I think you are nonplussed regarding DHH's actual motivation for ranting about the status quo of startup world instead of just enjoying that he has had it better? I see two possibilities: A, it's content marketing for his products (esp the books). B, he really thinks that people are ruining their lives chasing the current holy grail. I'd really love to know which it is.
  - robotresearcher 10y ago
    > I'd really love to know which it is. Since those are not exclusive, why not both?
    - manmal 10y ago
      I mean, which has the upper hand?
      - logicallee 10y ago
        if he thinks his lifestyle is worth emulating, he should write about it.
rebelidealist 10y ago
Take their advice but be warned that bootstrapping and mimicking their success is also hard. We are a huge fan of Basecamp (customer for 5+ year), DHH, Jason, and Rails. However, please also consider the unique talents that they had. Both Jason and DHH have exceptional skills. Jason is a great writer, designer, and speaker. DHH, the creator of Ruby on Rails is a renowned programmer. Some of the advantages that they had 1. They were the one of the first company to put project management on the "cloud" (early mover advantage) 2. The 37signal team are great writers. Their main advice they had for marketing is blogging. Some of us, especially foreign born founders, can't write as well. 3. 37signals had one of the most famous programmer at that time. (expertise and marketing advantage). 4. They have been honing basecamp for 15 years. For the rest of us who aren't exceptional ourselves or don't have a brilliant partner we might need some outside funding so we can hire the best talent. Some of us want to do more than having one exceptional products for 15 years.
- activatedgeek 10y ago
  I agree that taking their advice is fatal. Or, for that matter any advice. We must account for the external market factors as well.

Reconsider (2015)

52 points by activatedgeek 10y ago

cixin 10y ago

Ok, I agree. We shouldn't all really want to be unicorns, it doesn't make sense. However, many startups need outside invest. It's certainly a lot easier if you have it. It's not just that founders want to unicorns, it's that this is what VCs what to hear (at least that there's a chance). Many founders I've met had an initial vision that was they modified, most likely for the "worse" after talking to investors and trying to figure out what they wanted to hear. It's quite sad, but what are the alternatives for startups that need some financing?

jot 10y ago
Here's one alternative: http://v1.indie.vc/ http://v1.indie.vc/

andrewl-hn 10y ago

Past discussion, when the post was on dhh's own Medium page https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10506422 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10506422

logicallee 10y ago

He wrote a lot about how he didn't play the raising money game. Okay, I said to myself: this will be interesting. He'll write about what he knows. I'll get a glimpse into this life and what it's like to live it. Maybe he has more time for oil painting and reading fiction than any Musk or Zuckerberg I've ever read anything by. Maybe I'll decide to do things the same way he did. But then for some reason, after he began by stating he did not try to make a dent in the Universe or raise $100m - he proceeds to write about what it's like to do so. How would he know? This irrelevant stuff about stuff he doesn't know about is just noise. Because he doesn't know. If he wants me to pay attention to him (and the post is titled "reconsider") he needs to write why. Not piss on someone else's corn flakes. It sounds like sour grapes to me. I mean, why even write about something you don't know? Write what you do know... >So first you take a lot of money from angels desperate to not miss out on the next big unicorn. Then you take an obscene amount of money from VCs to inflate your top-line growth, to entice the investment bankers that you might be worthy of foisting upon the public markets, eventually, or a suitable tech behemoth. If you say so...

sytse 10y ago
> He'll write about what he knows. I'll get a glimpse into this life and what it's like to live it. Maybe he has more time for oil painting and reading fiction than any Musk or Zuckerberg I've ever read anything by. Maybe I'll decide to do things the same way he did. He made and maintains Ruby on Rails and in 2014 won his class in the 82nd running of the 24 hours of Le Mans. Other things he has more time for are listed at the top of http://david.heinemeierhansson.com/ http://david.heinemeierhansson.com/
- logicallee 10y ago
  But this whole article doesn't even mention any of that, even in passing.
manmal 10y ago
I think you are nonplussed regarding DHH's actual motivation for ranting about the status quo of startup world instead of just enjoying that he has had it better? I see two possibilities: A, it's content marketing for his products (esp the books). B, he really thinks that people are ruining their lives chasing the current holy grail. I'd really love to know which it is.
- robotresearcher 10y ago
  > I'd really love to know which it is. Since those are not exclusive, why not both?
  - manmal 10y ago
    I mean, which has the upper hand?
    - logicallee 10y ago
      if he thinks his lifestyle is worth emulating, he should write about it.

rebelidealist 10y ago

Take their advice but be warned that bootstrapping and mimicking their success is also hard. We are a huge fan of Basecamp (customer for 5+ year), DHH, Jason, and Rails. However, please also consider the unique talents that they had. Both Jason and DHH have exceptional skills. Jason is a great writer, designer, and speaker. DHH, the creator of Ruby on Rails is a renowned programmer. Some of the advantages that they had 1. They were the one of the first company to put project management on the "cloud" (early mover advantage) 2. The 37signal team are great writers. Their main advice they had for marketing is blogging. Some of us, especially foreign born founders, can't write as well. 3. 37signals had one of the most famous programmer at that time. (expertise and marketing advantage). 4. They have been honing basecamp for 15 years. For the rest of us who aren't exceptional ourselves or don't have a brilliant partner we might need some outside funding so we can hire the best talent. Some of us want to do more than having one exceptional products for 15 years.

activatedgeek 10y ago
I agree that taking their advice is fatal. Or, for that matter any advice. We must account for the external market factors as well.