4 ms·

False dilemma: there are plenty of jobs that pay fair market rates that don't involve hellish idiocy and bureaucracy. It's not somehow automatic in companies

False dilemma: there are plenty of jobs that pay fair market rates that don't involve hellish idiocy and bureaucracy. It's not somehow automatic in companies that are a different age than post-founder pre-funding. There's nothing about a pre-funded startup that magically banishes the "kafkaesque". Conversely, there's nothing about being well-funded that keeps you from sleeping at night (quite the opposite, actually).

sofuture 16y ago
I didn't say otherwise. I'm saying that my current job, taken as a whole, as valued by me, benefits me more than my last job.
- jrockway 16y ago
  But the implication was that it had something to do with it being a startup. There are plenty of startups with neurotic founders, and plenty of big companies that aren't a Kafkaesque nightmare.
  - sofuture 16y ago
    Right, I implied that it had something to do with being a startup because it does. In this specific example. I'm not saying that 'all startups good, all big company bad' is some sort of globally applicable law and I'm not sure how or why anyone would read that into what I've said.
deleted 16y ago
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rdl 16y ago
Early startups have super high variance. Some are utterly Kafka hellish, others are great. Unless you are either a strong personality and able to influence (which is kinda unlikely IMO if this is your first real job or first startup, and if you can't just quit at any time.), you have a good chance of losing. A funded startup is almost as good a learning opportunity for tech people, with some assurance that it won't be hell (legal liability, the selection and survivor bias, bigger team)
plinkplonk 16y ago
"False dilemma: there are plenty of jobs that pay fair market rates that don't involve hellish idiocy and bureaucracy. It's not somehow automatic in companies that are a different age than post-founder pre-funding." True in California. Not so much in other places. In India, you can work for body shopper process heavy companies (Wipro Infosys etc) , "India dev center" s of MegaCorps, which are universally severely dysfunctional and bureaucratic (Even Google and Yahoo aren't immune, their Indian operations are overrun by Middle Management and by and large, you get (relatively) crappy work (ops/legacy code etc)). Or you can work for the very few decent startups at below-market rates. Choices, choices ;-) Not so much opposing your view point as qualifying it a bit. PS: If anyone knows of an Indian company that pays well, has great work, and is not infested by bureaucracy, let us know. I have friends who are looking to move from both Kafkaesque BigCo jobs and underpaid startup jobs.

sofuture 16y ago

I didn't say otherwise. I'm saying that my current job, taken as a whole, as valued by me, benefits me more than my last job.

jrockway 16y ago
But the implication was that it had something to do with it being a startup. There are plenty of startups with neurotic founders, and plenty of big companies that aren't a Kafkaesque nightmare.
- sofuture 16y ago
  Right, I implied that it had something to do with being a startup because it does. In this specific example. I'm not saying that 'all startups good, all big company bad' is some sort of globally applicable law and I'm not sure how or why anyone would read that into what I've said.

deleted 16y ago

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rdl 16y ago

Early startups have super high variance. Some are utterly Kafka hellish, others are great. Unless you are either a strong personality and able to influence (which is kinda unlikely IMO if this is your first real job or first startup, and if you can't just quit at any time.), you have a good chance of losing. A funded startup is almost as good a learning opportunity for tech people, with some assurance that it won't be hell (legal liability, the selection and survivor bias, bigger team)

plinkplonk 16y ago

"False dilemma: there are plenty of jobs that pay fair market rates that don't involve hellish idiocy and bureaucracy. It's not somehow automatic in companies that are a different age than post-founder pre-funding." True in California. Not so much in other places. In India, you can work for body shopper process heavy companies (Wipro Infosys etc) , "India dev center" s of MegaCorps, which are universally severely dysfunctional and bureaucratic (Even Google and Yahoo aren't immune, their Indian operations are overrun by Middle Management and by and large, you get (relatively) crappy work (ops/legacy code etc)). Or you can work for the very few decent startups at below-market rates. Choices, choices ;-) Not so much opposing your view point as qualifying it a bit. PS: If anyone knows of an Indian company that pays well, has great work, and is not infested by bureaucracy, let us know. I have friends who are looking to move from both Kafkaesque BigCo jobs and underpaid startup jobs.