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Yeah VC's have it easy, it's all hookers and cocaine for them... His advice about "do what you like" is true in general but doesn't really account for the fact

Yeah VC's have it easy, it's all hookers and cocaine for them... His advice about "do what you like" is true in general but doesn't really account for the fact that you choose to work for a startup and you choose to accept VC money, with all the ups and downs attached to it. If you can't stand the heat - get out of the kitchen.

ryannielsen 15y ago
Not all startups take VC. Not all startups that take VC require insane work schedules. Arrington's article is misleading and destructive – sleeping two hours a night isn't required for success and often leads to outcomes far removed from success. It's rather depressing that it's commonly believed all successful startups are driven by people with a single-minded focus who have no other lives. JWZ's post is, on the other hand, quite constructive – do what makes you happy. You don't have to fit the mold to be successful. Yes, a startup will sometimes command your life but that doesn't mean it needs to always command your life. I know many startups who haven't taken VC and let their employees lead fulfilling lives outside of work. I know companies that have taken VC and still encourage their employees to work sane hours. Working grueling and exhaustive hours doesn't guarantee success.
- moonchrome 15y ago
  And I didn't say all startups take VC money, nor did I say that all startups require insane work schedules (that was addressing the VC will work you to the bone). But just because it's not always required, it's always a possibility that you will need to work like that in order to succeed, even in a big corporation things can go very wrong and you end up pulling a bad month (when launching a project in one big company I worked with the integrator went bankrupt and we had to finish the project on our own, IIRC I did 320H that month but got 5x pay check). In startups chance that you will need to work long hours is so high it's almost a certainty - startups are just like that, disorganized, unpredictable, underfunded and understaffed - for various reasons. You have no way of knowing that you won't need to do 80 hours in one week if something unexpected happens, that's the nature of it, it's a high risk/reward game (and I'm not implying that reward is guaranteed if you work "hard") and anyone entering should know what they are getting them selves in to.
  - mavelikara 15y ago
    > anyone entering should know what they are getting them selves in to. Fair enough, but people hiring others to work for them for 80hrs/week should also expect some push back from some of those employees attached with this notion of "living a life before it is too late".

ryannielsen 15y ago

Not all startups take VC. Not all startups that take VC require insane work schedules. Arrington's article is misleading and destructive – sleeping two hours a night isn't required for success and often leads to outcomes far removed from success. It's rather depressing that it's commonly believed all successful startups are driven by people with a single-minded focus who have no other lives. JWZ's post is, on the other hand, quite constructive – do what makes you happy. You don't have to fit the mold to be successful. Yes, a startup will sometimes command your life but that doesn't mean it needs to always command your life. I know many startups who haven't taken VC and let their employees lead fulfilling lives outside of work. I know companies that have taken VC and still encourage their employees to work sane hours. Working grueling and exhaustive hours doesn't guarantee success.

moonchrome 15y ago
And I didn't say all startups take VC money, nor did I say that all startups require insane work schedules (that was addressing the VC will work you to the bone). But just because it's not always required, it's always a possibility that you will need to work like that in order to succeed, even in a big corporation things can go very wrong and you end up pulling a bad month (when launching a project in one big company I worked with the integrator went bankrupt and we had to finish the project on our own, IIRC I did 320H that month but got 5x pay check). In startups chance that you will need to work long hours is so high it's almost a certainty - startups are just like that, disorganized, unpredictable, underfunded and understaffed - for various reasons. You have no way of knowing that you won't need to do 80 hours in one week if something unexpected happens, that's the nature of it, it's a high risk/reward game (and I'm not implying that reward is guaranteed if you work "hard") and anyone entering should know what they are getting them selves in to.
- mavelikara 15y ago
  > anyone entering should know what they are getting them selves in to. Fair enough, but people hiring others to work for them for 80hrs/week should also expect some push back from some of those employees attached with this notion of "living a life before it is too late".