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I love how the article ranked right above this one is titled "Downsides to working at a tech giant".

JKCalhoun 7y ago
LOL, I noticed as well. As I was reading "Downsides to working at a tech giant" it occurred to me that the alternative to working for a tech giant is not necessarily a start-up: I would probably work for myself — freelance. So, in fact the two articles can both be right. ;-)
- AnimalMuppet 7y ago
  You can also work in tech, for a company, but for something that is neither a giant nor a startup. There's plenty of such jobs out there. In fact, the majority of tech jobs probably fit that category
- ConsiderCrying 7y ago
  They can be right even if your two options are either a startup or a tech giant. They have their downsides as does every job, even freelance. I like being freelance but getting the motivation in those first couple of weeks was pretty hard. I also found it tougher to sell my services because I never really had to do it before. Probably some other stuff I can't think of off the top of my head? I don't think any type of work is perfect although I'd go for freelance any day of the week.
jonny_eh 7y ago
Written by a VC trying to get engineers to join the startups he's invested in.
- eanzenberg 7y ago
  For a VC, scraping off net innovation minus startup-wages is a win. It's a lose for the employees, of course.
  - garry 7y ago
    I was a software engineer who learned to start a company right off the pages of the site you're looking at right now, Hacker News. It was here where I learned to start a startup. I later worked for Y Combinator as a partner helping founders make products and services. The best ones made something that touches millions of people now. While there is a lot of zero sum thinking in startupland and finance/capitalism in general, you have to remember that this is probably the most GROWTH mindset industry in the world. Where else can you, with just your hands and a laptop on the Internet, create something a billion people use? I'm not saying that is the norm. But when it works, it's still remarkable. And it can start with you, and everyone reading this.
    - wheelie_boy 7y ago
      > Where else can you, with just your hands and a laptop on the Internet, create something a billion people use? At the large tech companies, with a lot less risk and higher salaries.
    - kareemm 7y ago
      > Where else can you, with just your hands and a laptop on the Internet, create something a billion people use? Serious question: how many software companies have something that a billion people have used? It's a pretty special industry, for sure. But the odds of it happening are basically zero. I see how selling the dream makes for a good story for young and hungry startup founders to passionately change the world and (cynically) end up as a failed bet in someone else's portfolio. But it's a bit disingenuous to make it sound like it's commonplace.
      - chrshawkes 7y ago
        From what little I've seen of this guy, he really doesn't come off as a genuine person at all.
    - adamsea 7y ago
      No disrespect but I think what the people use the product for should be mentioned ... in addition to the number of people using the product. The world has a lot of problems right now. I know there’s some VC in those areas but, well, look at what we talk about. Touch 20 lives as a teacher and enrich those individuals, or 20 million lives by helping them order groceries over the internet.
- doublement 7y ago
  > Written by a VC trying to get engineers to join the startups he's invested in. Actually for most of the piece he was pretty straightforward about making sure you get equity if you want to get paid upon company success. What has changed is that genuine equity in startups isn't being offered as readily as it was ~15 years ago (and it is notable that the missed opportunity he describes is that far in the past).
garry 7y ago
I wrote that other article and agree with what the original author here has written. Startups need to do a lot more to a/ solve the real problems of their customers and users, and b/ treat their employees and ecosystem better.

LOL, I noticed as well. As I was reading "Downsides to working at a tech giant" it occurred to me that the alternative to working for a tech giant is not necessarily a start-up: I would probably work for myself — freelance. So, in fact the two articles can both be right. ;-)

AnimalMuppet 7y ago
You can also work in tech, for a company, but for something that is neither a giant nor a startup. There's plenty of such jobs out there. In fact, the majority of tech jobs probably fit that category
ConsiderCrying 7y ago
They can be right even if your two options are either a startup or a tech giant. They have their downsides as does every job, even freelance. I like being freelance but getting the motivation in those first couple of weeks was pretty hard. I also found it tougher to sell my services because I never really had to do it before. Probably some other stuff I can't think of off the top of my head? I don't think any type of work is perfect although I'd go for freelance any day of the week.

jonny_eh 7y ago

Written by a VC trying to get engineers to join the startups he's invested in.

eanzenberg 7y ago
For a VC, scraping off net innovation minus startup-wages is a win. It's a lose for the employees, of course.
- garry 7y ago
  I was a software engineer who learned to start a company right off the pages of the site you're looking at right now, Hacker News. It was here where I learned to start a startup. I later worked for Y Combinator as a partner helping founders make products and services. The best ones made something that touches millions of people now. While there is a lot of zero sum thinking in startupland and finance/capitalism in general, you have to remember that this is probably the most GROWTH mindset industry in the world. Where else can you, with just your hands and a laptop on the Internet, create something a billion people use? I'm not saying that is the norm. But when it works, it's still remarkable. And it can start with you, and everyone reading this.
  - wheelie_boy 7y ago
    > Where else can you, with just your hands and a laptop on the Internet, create something a billion people use? At the large tech companies, with a lot less risk and higher salaries.
  - kareemm 7y ago
    > Where else can you, with just your hands and a laptop on the Internet, create something a billion people use? Serious question: how many software companies have something that a billion people have used? It's a pretty special industry, for sure. But the odds of it happening are basically zero. I see how selling the dream makes for a good story for young and hungry startup founders to passionately change the world and (cynically) end up as a failed bet in someone else's portfolio. But it's a bit disingenuous to make it sound like it's commonplace.
    - chrshawkes 7y ago
      From what little I've seen of this guy, he really doesn't come off as a genuine person at all.
  - adamsea 7y ago
    No disrespect but I think what the people use the product for should be mentioned ... in addition to the number of people using the product. The world has a lot of problems right now. I know there’s some VC in those areas but, well, look at what we talk about. Touch 20 lives as a teacher and enrich those individuals, or 20 million lives by helping them order groceries over the internet.
doublement 7y ago
> Written by a VC trying to get engineers to join the startups he's invested in. Actually for most of the piece he was pretty straightforward about making sure you get equity if you want to get paid upon company success. What has changed is that genuine equity in startups isn't being offered as readily as it was ~15 years ago (and it is notable that the missed opportunity he describes is that far in the past).

garry 7y ago

I wrote that other article and agree with what the original author here has written. Startups need to do a lot more to a/ solve the real problems of their customers and users, and b/ treat their employees and ecosystem better.