From 2007 until 2016 my main source of income came from working as a software developer for startup companies. During that time I worked for about 8 or 9 compan

From 2007 until 2016 my main source of income came from working as a software developer for startup companies. During that time I worked for about 8 or 9 companies. Some of those companies provided a great working environment, but most of them were terrible. The #1 factor that made a working environment terrible is the founders being friends before the company started. About 80% of the companies I worked for were "friend companies". Just about every post in this thread nails it. You, being not one of the friends, will always be on the outside and will never be treated the same way the friends are.