3 ms·
I've worked at multiple startups before starting my own, some were more useful than others. In my experience only in lead or above positions do you actually get
by ido 4y ago
I've worked at multiple startups before starting my own, some were more useful than others. In my experience only in lead or above positions do you actually get exposure to these things - a random IC doesn't really get much insight into the company's finances, raising, negotiations, hiring, etc.
From those I was a lead at I got some valuable experience (including what not to do) & also contacts (some former director/C-level people I'm still in touch with). I still learned the vast majority from actually having to handle it myself in my own startup but I think I would have learned even less (in that particular area) if I was working at amazon or google before instead.
- qqqwerty 4y agoFair enough. I am an IC, but also an early-ish employee. And the startup I currently work at might be anomalous in how much they share about the company. With that said, if you are joining a startup to get founder level experiences, you almost certainly have some agency in this matter (that is kinda the point of working at a startup after all, you get more input and higher level input than at BigCo.) Go out and talk to folks about what they are working on. Ask the founders to share details about the company, including board slides, financial details, and product initiatives. If they don't oblige, it probably makes sense to work somewhere else.