5 ms·

This is the founder who turned into a psycho tyrant (I forget his exact words, but something to the effect of, "we're not the same small company, I have money a

This is the founder who turned into a psycho tyrant (I forget his exact words, but something to the effect of, "we're not the same small company, I have money and lawyers now") on an ex-employee for an innocent side project, threatened to sue him, etc, until it went viral and then backpedaled and offered some non-apology. I remember stuff like that and will never use this company's tools, which is a shame because I was a fan prior to that.

bin_bash 4y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27424195 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27424195
- redbell 4y ago
  That was a tragedy and an interesting story at the same time! I dived into it for about an hour and completely lost track of time. Surprisingly, this story is ranked #8 [1] as the most upvoted HN story of all time. The founder of Replit posted an apology [2], but got a storm of backlash. Just a couple of weeks after joining the community, I quickly started noticing how powerful the HN community is. "Hackers" come here to post their complaints, pain points, and difficulties, and the community reacts in a positive way and, most of the time, gets their problems solved. Long life HN :) _____________________ 1. https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=&sort=byPopularity&type=story https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que... 2. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27429234 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27429234
joshxyz 4y ago
damn that thread really got 4k internet points >.< i dont know if that guy ever got his act straight but im still rooting for their company, especially for third-world countries where students only got mobile devices and got no access to computers and laptops. it was horrible seeing students not being able to do hands-on activities during the recent covid years. let alone other problems like dysfunctional / laggy / buggy low-end mobiles, slow internet connection, oh dear.
- ellis0n 4y ago
  Amjad copy 5 of 5 ideas of our 10 years development startup for mobile coding from Ukraine where World War right now. See also my comment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33267464 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33267464
  - sneak 4y ago
    Copying ideas is only a threat if you think the copying party is: 1) better at executing than you and 2) understands the market better than you It is generally accepted wisdom that if someone copies you, you are doing something right and should focus on fundamentals and shipping/customers.
    - ellis0n 4y ago
      Okay... Did you read my link post https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33267464 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33267464 ? 1) No. I'm not dumb and programming language author, CTO, polygot, architect, old school, and make better software all my life. I made the world's first mobile IDE and real-time reverse debugger 2) No. 4k likes HN post shows the opposite. I asked Amjad for help while COVID-19 because no job, no money, don't know what to do and this people said him is investor and looks relevant from Pioneer.app startup accelerator. Market - yes US vs Ukraine, non-competitive advantage. In my opinion, now we have a war in Ukraine and many victims due to the fact that we did not support people correctly. I ask Amjad for help directly. Here is the mail log: --- MAIL 1 From: Viktor <viktor.XXXX@gmail.com> To: amjad@repl.it Hello Amjad! I'm Victor https://clubavatar.app/ https://clubavatar.app/ on pioneer I'm developing ACPUL programming language and AnimationCPU programming platform (like Flash/HTML5) - ACPUL is a pure programming language - Reactive and live coding is everywhere - Mobile IDE (iPad Pro with keyboard) - Real-time reverse debugger (like https://rr-project.org/ https://rr-project.org/ with 60 fps and less ram) - Full git and video history (Bret Victor inventing on principle) - Team development and other features... Due to lack of resources, a hercules amount of work I'm looking an any support You can see demo on your iOS device with TestFlight --- MAIL 2 From: Amjad Masad <amjad@repl.it> To: Viktor <viktor.XXXX@gmail.com> Hey Viktor, This looks interesting -- how can I help? Amjad --- MAIL 3 Hi Amjad, I am looking for a way to fund projects, expand the team, to improve Animation CPU programming platform and virtual club Avatar 1) Donations / Sponsorship: Support ACPU / ACPUL open source development 2) Investments in clubavatar.app 3) Technical work: improving the programming language, libraries, platform, documentation, educational lessons, more code/nocode apps and examples, UI, IDE, etc 4) I am looking for a mentor to improve my open source community and communication skills, social media, etc Thanks, Victor --- MAIL 4 Hi Amjad, As a program architect I highlight weak points in the previous mail (19 Aug 2020) In other words, I have a huge technical debt for new components, and a small debt to launch my application, but I don't have the funds for normal work. I just need a little help to kickoff my app to AppStore and generate the revenue. And it's much better than an app! This is a new world that likes everyone. You like it, djs like it, childrens like it, hackers like it, anyone likes it! I don't see a reason to spend my time for work on another world 1.0 react-bla-bla-bla app to develop a world 2.0 app. I spent a huge amount of my time on social and financial issues and app doesn't work I'm not sure what is best reward for you. I can add Repl.it AD on top IDE, make a Repl.it demo and animation, make a app pushares (store), or something like that Best regards, Victor --- MAIL 5 Hey Viktor, Just a bit of feedback for you. It's still not clear to me what your project is about. I suggest simplifying it into something someone can understand in two sentences. Best, Amjad <<< WTF??? "It's still not clear to me what your project is about." <<< in this mail he appllied steal everything and start working for replit a one year! 5 of 5 my projects in replit now!!! COOL??? Due this my project delayed for extra 2 years but you got replit. Looks like good social engineering PS: I can attach screenshots of Gmail and I hope that after the Google Replit presentation they don't delete my emails and copy everything together without payment for ideas (c)
Aliabid94 4y ago
A company is more than the personality of its CEO. Gates, Zuckerburg or Elon's personal faults shouldn't override the work and mission of thousands others.
- victor9000 4y ago
  I would argue the exact opposite. Companies like Amazon and SpaceX have shaped their entire company culture using the values of their respective CEOs.
  - sneak 4y ago
    It depends on the CEO. I think SpaceX reflects more on the culture of the COO than the CEO; the company does not operate like the CEO does.
- duncan-donuts 4y ago
  A company usually mirrors the values of its executives. You're right it shouldn't override the mission of the many, but the faults are baked in there somewhere.
- cpsns 4y ago
  It often does though, which is why having the right people in high positions is important. The CEO is the face of the company and for better or worse the company will be judged by their actions to some degree.
etaioinshrdlu 4y ago
Let it be a lesson... Hacker News never forgets?
smnrchrds 4y ago
IIRC, not even an ex-employee, but an ex-intern.
ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
Oh wow that is really bad. I remember YC pushing them heavily as a unicorn for a few days seemingly out of nowhere a while back, but that blitz has since died down. Remains to be seen if they can be an actual viable business.
- the_gipsy 4y ago
  Paul regularly still pushes replit on his twitter.
  - ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
    Just to clarify, I don't mind YC and folks related to YC pushing this at all. Bless their heart, it's a great thing. They should support YC companies as much as possible.
sneak 4y ago
I have a similar story about DigitalOcean from when I published the fact that they were intentionally leaking customer data cross-account because they didn’t understand thin/sparse provisioning of block devices. One time I was interviewing somewhere and the interviewer spent the whole call super unprofessionally trashing a close personal friend of mine (also prominent in the industry) when I had mentioned working with them on some research. I think everyone paying attention in this industry has a list of companies and people we will never work with.
golergka 4y ago
What if the founder is really a bad guy, but the product company releases is useful and could really improve lives of many. Should we use it and advertise to others who might find it useful? Or should we abstain from it to punish bad behaviour? Those aren't rhetorical questions, I honestly don't know.
- rgoulter 4y ago
  My sense is, if you catch someone being malicious in a situation where the power dynamic is so one sided, then be very careful before giving that person more power.

bin_bash 4y ago

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27424195 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27424195

redbell 4y ago
That was a tragedy and an interesting story at the same time! I dived into it for about an hour and completely lost track of time. Surprisingly, this story is ranked #8 [1] as the most upvoted HN story of all time. The founder of Replit posted an apology [2], but got a storm of backlash. Just a couple of weeks after joining the community, I quickly started noticing how powerful the HN community is. "Hackers" come here to post their complaints, pain points, and difficulties, and the community reacts in a positive way and, most of the time, gets their problems solved. Long life HN :) _____________________ 1. https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=&sort=byPopularity&type=story https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que... 2. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27429234 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27429234

joshxyz 4y ago

damn that thread really got 4k internet points >.< i dont know if that guy ever got his act straight but im still rooting for their company, especially for third-world countries where students only got mobile devices and got no access to computers and laptops. it was horrible seeing students not being able to do hands-on activities during the recent covid years. let alone other problems like dysfunctional / laggy / buggy low-end mobiles, slow internet connection, oh dear.

ellis0n 4y ago
Amjad copy 5 of 5 ideas of our 10 years development startup for mobile coding from Ukraine where World War right now. See also my comment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33267464 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33267464
- sneak 4y ago
  Copying ideas is only a threat if you think the copying party is: 1) better at executing than you and 2) understands the market better than you It is generally accepted wisdom that if someone copies you, you are doing something right and should focus on fundamentals and shipping/customers.
  - ellis0n 4y ago
    Okay... Did you read my link post https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33267464 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33267464 ? 1) No. I'm not dumb and programming language author, CTO, polygot, architect, old school, and make better software all my life. I made the world's first mobile IDE and real-time reverse debugger 2) No. 4k likes HN post shows the opposite. I asked Amjad for help while COVID-19 because no job, no money, don't know what to do and this people said him is investor and looks relevant from Pioneer.app startup accelerator. Market - yes US vs Ukraine, non-competitive advantage. In my opinion, now we have a war in Ukraine and many victims due to the fact that we did not support people correctly. I ask Amjad for help directly. Here is the mail log: --- MAIL 1 From: Viktor <viktor.XXXX@gmail.com> To: amjad@repl.it Hello Amjad! I'm Victor https://clubavatar.app/ https://clubavatar.app/ on pioneer I'm developing ACPUL programming language and AnimationCPU programming platform (like Flash/HTML5) - ACPUL is a pure programming language - Reactive and live coding is everywhere - Mobile IDE (iPad Pro with keyboard) - Real-time reverse debugger (like https://rr-project.org/ https://rr-project.org/ with 60 fps and less ram) - Full git and video history (Bret Victor inventing on principle) - Team development and other features... Due to lack of resources, a hercules amount of work I'm looking an any support You can see demo on your iOS device with TestFlight --- MAIL 2 From: Amjad Masad <amjad@repl.it> To: Viktor <viktor.XXXX@gmail.com> Hey Viktor, This looks interesting -- how can I help? Amjad --- MAIL 3 Hi Amjad, I am looking for a way to fund projects, expand the team, to improve Animation CPU programming platform and virtual club Avatar 1) Donations / Sponsorship: Support ACPU / ACPUL open source development 2) Investments in clubavatar.app 3) Technical work: improving the programming language, libraries, platform, documentation, educational lessons, more code/nocode apps and examples, UI, IDE, etc 4) I am looking for a mentor to improve my open source community and communication skills, social media, etc Thanks, Victor --- MAIL 4 Hi Amjad, As a program architect I highlight weak points in the previous mail (19 Aug 2020) In other words, I have a huge technical debt for new components, and a small debt to launch my application, but I don't have the funds for normal work. I just need a little help to kickoff my app to AppStore and generate the revenue. And it's much better than an app! This is a new world that likes everyone. You like it, djs like it, childrens like it, hackers like it, anyone likes it! I don't see a reason to spend my time for work on another world 1.0 react-bla-bla-bla app to develop a world 2.0 app. I spent a huge amount of my time on social and financial issues and app doesn't work I'm not sure what is best reward for you. I can add Repl.it AD on top IDE, make a Repl.it demo and animation, make a app pushares (store), or something like that Best regards, Victor --- MAIL 5 Hey Viktor, Just a bit of feedback for you. It's still not clear to me what your project is about. I suggest simplifying it into something someone can understand in two sentences. Best, Amjad <<< WTF??? "It's still not clear to me what your project is about." <<< in this mail he appllied steal everything and start working for replit a one year! 5 of 5 my projects in replit now!!! COOL??? Due this my project delayed for extra 2 years but you got replit. Looks like good social engineering PS: I can attach screenshots of Gmail and I hope that after the Google Replit presentation they don't delete my emails and copy everything together without payment for ideas (c)

Aliabid94 4y ago

A company is more than the personality of its CEO. Gates, Zuckerburg or Elon's personal faults shouldn't override the work and mission of thousands others.

victor9000 4y ago
I would argue the exact opposite. Companies like Amazon and SpaceX have shaped their entire company culture using the values of their respective CEOs.
- sneak 4y ago
  It depends on the CEO. I think SpaceX reflects more on the culture of the COO than the CEO; the company does not operate like the CEO does.
duncan-donuts 4y ago
A company usually mirrors the values of its executives. You're right it shouldn't override the mission of the many, but the faults are baked in there somewhere.
cpsns 4y ago
It often does though, which is why having the right people in high positions is important. The CEO is the face of the company and for better or worse the company will be judged by their actions to some degree.

etaioinshrdlu 4y ago

Let it be a lesson... Hacker News never forgets?

smnrchrds 4y ago

IIRC, not even an ex-employee, but an ex-intern.

ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago

Oh wow that is really bad. I remember YC pushing them heavily as a unicorn for a few days seemingly out of nowhere a while back, but that blitz has since died down. Remains to be seen if they can be an actual viable business.

the_gipsy 4y ago
Paul regularly still pushes replit on his twitter.
- ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
  Just to clarify, I don't mind YC and folks related to YC pushing this at all. Bless their heart, it's a great thing. They should support YC companies as much as possible.

sneak 4y ago

I have a similar story about DigitalOcean from when I published the fact that they were intentionally leaking customer data cross-account because they didn’t understand thin/sparse provisioning of block devices. One time I was interviewing somewhere and the interviewer spent the whole call super unprofessionally trashing a close personal friend of mine (also prominent in the industry) when I had mentioned working with them on some research. I think everyone paying attention in this industry has a list of companies and people we will never work with.

golergka 4y ago

What if the founder is really a bad guy, but the product company releases is useful and could really improve lives of many. Should we use it and advertise to others who might find it useful? Or should we abstain from it to punish bad behaviour? Those aren't rhetorical questions, I honestly don't know.

rgoulter 4y ago
My sense is, if you catch someone being malicious in a situation where the power dynamic is so one sided, then be very careful before giving that person more power.