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This is going to sound really insensitive, but I've noticed that trendy VC-backed startups often hire people that they believe are smart, but who often turn out

This is going to sound really insensitive, but I've noticed that trendy VC-backed startups often hire people that they believe are smart, but who often turn out to be entitled and ineffective, and thus the company needs to hire more employees than is typical to get the job done. I think there's also a tendency for people not spending their own money to chase absolute outcomes rather than Pareto outcomes. e.g. if an 85% solution costs $n, startups often spend $10n on the 100% solution. My guess is that if you're a founder spending your own money, you'd pick the 85% solution.

deleted 8y ago
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freehunter 8y ago
On the other hand, what is a startup if not an experiment? Especially a VC-backed startup. Hiring non-traditional employees in non-traditional ways (compared to enterprise companies), playing around with headcount and job roles in non-traditional ways, and seeking non-traditional ways of doing business. Many of them fail, but the ones who succeed often change the way business is done in multiple industries. Every startup is an experiment in doing business a different way. If they went with the 85% solution or hired off-the-shelf employees, they'd just be another small business. There's nothing wrong with being another small business, but startups are so drastically different that we came up with an entirely different term to talk about small businesses who do things in wildly non-traditional ways with the hope that those non-traditional tactics will lead to unprecedented success. We call them startups.
conductr 8y ago
Ineffectiveness in this sense is leaderships fault. They hired without vision for why the role was needed, what’s expected, and established accountability. Combine that with a culture where you’re expected to be real friends with everyone results in a lot of people sitting around drinking coffee and playing ping pong.

deleted 8y ago

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freehunter 8y ago

On the other hand, what is a startup if not an experiment? Especially a VC-backed startup. Hiring non-traditional employees in non-traditional ways (compared to enterprise companies), playing around with headcount and job roles in non-traditional ways, and seeking non-traditional ways of doing business. Many of them fail, but the ones who succeed often change the way business is done in multiple industries. Every startup is an experiment in doing business a different way. If they went with the 85% solution or hired off-the-shelf employees, they'd just be another small business. There's nothing wrong with being another small business, but startups are so drastically different that we came up with an entirely different term to talk about small businesses who do things in wildly non-traditional ways with the hope that those non-traditional tactics will lead to unprecedented success. We call them startups.

conductr 8y ago

Ineffectiveness in this sense is leaderships fault. They hired without vision for why the role was needed, what’s expected, and established accountability. Combine that with a culture where you’re expected to be real friends with everyone results in a lot of people sitting around drinking coffee and playing ping pong.