5 ms·
100% agree that of the list of realistic outcomes, Tumblr going to Automattic is one of the best possible outcomes. That said, and I know this is said a lot, b
by munchbunny 7y ago
100% agree that of the list of realistic outcomes, Tumblr going to Automattic is one of the best possible outcomes.
That said, and I know this is said a lot, but I really wish our industry would stop trying to label everything a "startup". Automattic was founded in 2005 and has 1000 employees. It's not a startup, it's a mature medium size tech company. Its problems are not startup problems, they're mature medium size tech company problems. Automattic isn't even a clear underdog considering the dominance of WordPress.
To be clear, that's not a pejorative: Automattic kicked ass, and Automattic deserves its current success. But the phrasing is a sticking point for me in how people talk about tech companies because it ends up feeding into how we perceive working at these companies. When I was job searching, I saw job postings regularly where "startup" or "like a startup" are used to invoke a cultural image for companies that are already post-growth-stage.
- genmon 7y agoThe diff is that Automattic hasn't yet returned money to its investors -- so it's a startup by that definition.
- chiefalchemist 7y agoI'm not familiar with that definition. Can you elaborate and/or provide a couple links? tia
- Ididntdothis 7y agoI hate the startup talk too. After a few years you are no startup anymore. Maybe you are a successful or a struggling business but not a startup. In my company managers think „startup” means to work a lot of overtime and weekends and changing project direction every month.
- abfan1127 7y agoI think its a Growth-Mindset company rather than Dividend-Focused mindset... I agree that its not a startup any more.
- compiler-guy 7y agoA better term for a successful company long past the startup stage but not having exited via liquidity event is "privately held". In a privately held company, the investors can manage it as they see fit. They can take profits if they like, or sell their stakes, just not on public markets.
- samnwa 7y agoThis is really just shorthand for saying "our employees don't hate working at our company as much as the typical large company because we try to limit bureaucracy and politicking and we value / recognize good ideas and actual execution"
- munchbunny 7y agoYeah... I'd agree more if that were actually true. In my experience it actually says "we like to think that we limit bureaucracy and politicking." Whether they actually do, you won't be able to tell. This aspect of language is all signalling but very little actual signal. It's unfortunate.