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I’m really curious why people love working at startups when big companies pay 2-5x more and have less stress. Is it that the uncertainty, stress, and more work

I’m really curious why people love working at startups when big companies pay 2-5x more and have less stress. Is it that the uncertainty, stress, and more working hours are exciting? Is it actually just the lottery ticket aspect? I know startups have some advantages in terms of building something new and having more impact on the product, but it seems hard to outweigh the day-to-day unpleasantness. I’ve worked at both and I’ll never go back to a startup. I’m really unclear as to why they appeal to people. Maybe those factors just don’t bother other people that much?

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
gmassman 5y ago
All companies have unique cultures. Just because a company is a startup doesn't inherently mean everyone works crazy hours, is under a huge amount of pressure, or is forced to sacrifice work-life balance. That may be the case in some places, and at certain points in time those factors will apply. But more often than not I'm a 40 hr/week senior engineer who has time to spend with friends, practice violin, cook meals, etc. The lower pay isn't low - I'm making plenty for the Bay Area. The stress isn't too high - we have important customers with product expectations, so we test thoroughly before we release changes. I may not be in the weeds writing code every week because I need to wear the product and QA hats too, but overall I love being a high impact player on a team making an impact in a market I care about. Whether the company takes off or doesn't, I'm happier building something with minimum overhead and maximum flexibility.
aranchelk 5y ago
At smaller and newer companies (startups being one variation) I love the ability to execute and build things properly without regard for bad established policies or political infighting. These are issues I’ve encountered working for larger orgs. I’ve never taken a pay cut moving from a larger org to a smaller one. I feel way more stress being idle than I ever do from external pressure. It’s a personality type.
- defnmacro 5y ago
  To just make the point as well in regards to variability. The politics and political infighting at startups can be just as bad or worse than larger established companies as well. I think the best way to categorize the startup experience is a choose your own adventure game. Basically everything is variable and it's your responsibility to find what environment best suites you.
  - aranchelk 5y ago
    > The politics and political infighting at startups can be just as bad or worse than larger established companies as well Yeah, but in my experience the infighting in small companies exists alongside the work, not in opposition to it. In other words you may have a nasty argument with a cofounder, but when it’s over, you both must sit down and do your work. In a big company you may have a more mild disagreement with another department, but that disagreement stalls your project for a month.
SquibblesRedux 5y ago
For me, nothing beats the act of creation. I will always be willing to make all sorts of extreme sacrifices in the hope of creating something enduring.
caseysoftware 5y ago
> I’m really curious why people love working at startups when big companies pay 2-5x more and have less stress. It's simple. If you want to shape something and grow it from the ground up, doing it at a startup is one of the most likely ways you can do it. Because the team is small, you have to get your hands in a lot of things. Because things are moving quickly, stopping to gold plate things can be dangerous. Because sharing a stressful situation with people can build trust and lifelong relationship. I've launched new products at established companies and every person has a role and every job has an assignee. If you step out of/beyond your role, you're stepping on someone else and could be ticking off the wrong person. That said, once your piece of the job is done, you can ignore the rest and "failure" isn't on you. Startups or big companies aren't for everyone but each has benefits and tradeoffs.
bsder 5y ago
> I’m really curious why people love working at startups when big companies pay 2-5x more and have less stress. Because that's an historical anomaly. The big companies didn't used to pay 2x-5x more. And, if the current news is anything to go by, that appears to be ending. Get ready for a bumpy ride down.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

gmassman 5y ago

All companies have unique cultures. Just because a company is a startup doesn't inherently mean everyone works crazy hours, is under a huge amount of pressure, or is forced to sacrifice work-life balance. That may be the case in some places, and at certain points in time those factors will apply. But more often than not I'm a 40 hr/week senior engineer who has time to spend with friends, practice violin, cook meals, etc. The lower pay isn't low - I'm making plenty for the Bay Area. The stress isn't too high - we have important customers with product expectations, so we test thoroughly before we release changes. I may not be in the weeds writing code every week because I need to wear the product and QA hats too, but overall I love being a high impact player on a team making an impact in a market I care about. Whether the company takes off or doesn't, I'm happier building something with minimum overhead and maximum flexibility.

aranchelk 5y ago

At smaller and newer companies (startups being one variation) I love the ability to execute and build things properly without regard for bad established policies or political infighting. These are issues I’ve encountered working for larger orgs. I’ve never taken a pay cut moving from a larger org to a smaller one. I feel way more stress being idle than I ever do from external pressure. It’s a personality type.

defnmacro 5y ago
To just make the point as well in regards to variability. The politics and political infighting at startups can be just as bad or worse than larger established companies as well. I think the best way to categorize the startup experience is a choose your own adventure game. Basically everything is variable and it's your responsibility to find what environment best suites you.
- aranchelk 5y ago
  > The politics and political infighting at startups can be just as bad or worse than larger established companies as well Yeah, but in my experience the infighting in small companies exists alongside the work, not in opposition to it. In other words you may have a nasty argument with a cofounder, but when it’s over, you both must sit down and do your work. In a big company you may have a more mild disagreement with another department, but that disagreement stalls your project for a month.

SquibblesRedux 5y ago

For me, nothing beats the act of creation. I will always be willing to make all sorts of extreme sacrifices in the hope of creating something enduring.

caseysoftware 5y ago

> I’m really curious why people love working at startups when big companies pay 2-5x more and have less stress. It's simple. If you want to shape something and grow it from the ground up, doing it at a startup is one of the most likely ways you can do it. Because the team is small, you have to get your hands in a lot of things. Because things are moving quickly, stopping to gold plate things can be dangerous. Because sharing a stressful situation with people can build trust and lifelong relationship. I've launched new products at established companies and every person has a role and every job has an assignee. If you step out of/beyond your role, you're stepping on someone else and could be ticking off the wrong person. That said, once your piece of the job is done, you can ignore the rest and "failure" isn't on you. Startups or big companies aren't for everyone but each has benefits and tradeoffs.

bsder 5y ago

> I’m really curious why people love working at startups when big companies pay 2-5x more and have less stress. Because that's an historical anomaly. The big companies didn't used to pay 2x-5x more. And, if the current news is anything to go by, that appears to be ending. Get ready for a bumpy ride down.