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No, they said we had X months of runway and then suddenly in the past week basically said to us that it was a lie and we're essentially "on call" until (if ever

No, they said we had X months of runway and then suddenly in the past week basically said to us that it was a lie and we're essentially "on call" until (if ever) the next round comes through. Obviously I'm aware startups run out of money and fail often, but just how the whole thing was communicated to engineering team, and even worse that we're now supposed to be cog to do some consulting for XYZ corp "but then as soon as we get funding you come back to us", that really rubbed me the wrong way. I'm a member of the "founding team" at least how it was marketed to me, and it sure doesn't feel that way. But anyway, I've given in my notice as of today, just for the peace of mind.

ss108 4y ago
Ah, sounds shitty, sorry to hear. FWIW, I disagree with some of the other posters saying that joining startups early but not being a founder is a raw deal. People can "hit it big", as one of the other posters put it, by simply being early at a successful startup, even if they aren't a founder. Of course, it is a gamble and not reliable. Even VCs, who are in the business of identifying companies who will hit it big, plan on getting it wrong 9/10 times. Maybe next time you can join people to whom have some sort of personal link (either you personally know them or they are a 2nd degree connection). Hopefully a good learning experience; sounds like you were basically the CTO of a funded startup. A lot of us would have love to have that on our resume.