3 ms·

> I’ve also found that the best folks in business tend to have rich, fulfilling lives outside of business as well. Totally agree, but I’ve been burned multiple

> I’ve also found that the best folks in business tend to have rich, fulfilling lives outside of business as well. Totally agree, but I’ve been burned multiple times by startups that see any kind of multifaceted lifestyle as “not fully committed” to the team or company, which is ridiculous. I’ve been so disappointed how frequently this happens in tech.

harumph 7y ago
Rule of Acquisition 211: "Employees are rungs on the ladder of success. Don't hesitate to step on them." When you're a "human resource", you will be exploited. The term is dehumanizing. The C-suite requires this abstraction lest they are caught treating their resources like humans.
DEADBEEFC0FFEE 7y ago
How does the response manifest? Is it overt?
conception 7y ago
It’s because the owners are trying to squeeze as much value as they can out of you in as short a time as possible. This might be obvious but owners want as much they can show an investor as soon as possible to make their ownership of the company more valuable in the shortest amount of time, and also often trying to make the amount of money they lose to you as small as possible. I think you probably already know this but for those that need to read this - the chances of you becoming a millionaire at a start up are zero. Better to go buy a lotto ticket. That said, much like owning a home in Southern California there are many good reasons to join a startup- money is not one of them. There is of course the caveat that of course some people win the lotto but planning your financial life around winning the lotto is idiotic.
- closeparen 7y ago
  Owners of every kind of company want to extract as much value as they can at the lowest possible cost. Even nonprofits want to serve their missions (which are usually distinct from staff welfare) as best they can at a given budget. Greed doesn't seem to have much explanatory power for why startups in particular would be worse.
  - goatinaboat 7y ago
    Owners of every kind of company want to extract as much value as they can at the lowest possible cost Other than sports, what other industry than VC-backed startups lures in talented-but-naive young people, promises them riches, then chews up and spits most of them out, having burned them out? OK maybe music and fashion as well. Meanwhile the owners get richer and richer.
    - mrep 7y ago
      Pretty much any career that has an up or out policy with the promise of riches if you don't get pushed out of which there are plenty. For example, many consulting companies work this way where they will pay you a fraction of your billing rate and have you work a ton of hours in the hope that you will eventually make partner which is where you make the real money.

harumph 7y ago

Rule of Acquisition 211: "Employees are rungs on the ladder of success. Don't hesitate to step on them." When you're a "human resource", you will be exploited. The term is dehumanizing. The C-suite requires this abstraction lest they are caught treating their resources like humans.

DEADBEEFC0FFEE 7y ago

How does the response manifest? Is it overt?

conception 7y ago

It’s because the owners are trying to squeeze as much value as they can out of you in as short a time as possible. This might be obvious but owners want as much they can show an investor as soon as possible to make their ownership of the company more valuable in the shortest amount of time, and also often trying to make the amount of money they lose to you as small as possible. I think you probably already know this but for those that need to read this - the chances of you becoming a millionaire at a start up are zero. Better to go buy a lotto ticket. That said, much like owning a home in Southern California there are many good reasons to join a startup- money is not one of them. There is of course the caveat that of course some people win the lotto but planning your financial life around winning the lotto is idiotic.

closeparen 7y ago
Owners of every kind of company want to extract as much value as they can at the lowest possible cost. Even nonprofits want to serve their missions (which are usually distinct from staff welfare) as best they can at a given budget. Greed doesn't seem to have much explanatory power for why startups in particular would be worse.
- goatinaboat 7y ago
  Owners of every kind of company want to extract as much value as they can at the lowest possible cost Other than sports, what other industry than VC-backed startups lures in talented-but-naive young people, promises them riches, then chews up and spits most of them out, having burned them out? OK maybe music and fashion as well. Meanwhile the owners get richer and richer.
  - mrep 7y ago
    Pretty much any career that has an up or out policy with the promise of riches if you don't get pushed out of which there are plenty. For example, many consulting companies work this way where they will pay you a fraction of your billing rate and have you work a ton of hours in the hope that you will eventually make partner which is where you make the real money.