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Do you have a way to find such companies? In my job search a lot of the small companies feel like they won't last if a recession hits. They're interesting ideas

Do you have a way to find such companies? In my job search a lot of the small companies feel like they won't last if a recession hits. They're interesting ideas but not a sustainable business. One example near me was one that uses ML to diagnose issues with dental patients for dentists. That's a cool solution but dentistry doesn't scale well so the likelihood of this product taking off and going into a decent amount of dental practices seems low. It also feels like the first expense you would cut to save money. Do you only find out they are sustainable during interviews?

lr4444lr 4y ago
On what are you basing the assertion that they wouldn't weather a recession? You might be right, you might be wrong, but large size is not a guarantee of resilience. There are basic metrics about company health that would not be too hard for you to learn, and working at a smaller company would be an education in any of itself in this if you have transparent leadership that talks about the goals and obstacles openly. Dentistry is actually a very dynamic sector of US health care. I have no idea whether ML diagnostics is solving any real problem, whether this company is doing it effectively, or what competitors exist, but I wouldn't write it off for the reasons you're implying.
- azemetre 4y ago
  That's fair, I feel like I don't know enough from the business side to be asking these types of questions during an interview. I feel like the only way to know is to actually work there but sometimes that can be a big gamble. That's what I'm trying to figure out how to avoid and what to ask. I suppose I'm basing my assumptions, for that explicit example, on dentistry isn't an assembly line process, it's very hard to increase the amount of patients you can see in a day. This product isn't helping that, so I personally see very little value being added. I could be completely wrong but I'm scared off enough to not even apply. I suppose I'd like to see job ads talking about how they are a good business rather than just talking about culture and tech. I understand this info can be proprietary, but yeah that's my struggle.
- Arainach 4y ago
  >large size is not a guarantee of resilience ....but tens of billions in cash and being massively profitable sure are.
dsugarman 4y ago
Work at a startup is a great place to look. The further stage they are (higher letter round), the more derisked they generally are. There's different pros and cons based on maturity but if you're looking for the most sustainable going with a later stage private startup that recently raised money (has a lot of momentum) is what I would recommend
- lambic2 4y ago
  Might want to specify https://www.workatastartup.com/ https://www.workatastartup.com/ - if OP hasn't heard of it, your comment might be interpreted as just "working at a startup" in the general sense.
- alonmower 4y ago
  One caution is that later stage private companies that raised big rounds at huge valuations will have a very hard time growing back into those valuations. Options granted have the potential to have high strike prices and limited to negative upside. If you’re getting RSUs it’s less of an issue but you may need to discount a bit from what they tell you they’re worth when you evaluate your offer. They do have lots of cash though, so you can probably negotiate strong salaries.

lr4444lr 4y ago

On what are you basing the assertion that they wouldn't weather a recession? You might be right, you might be wrong, but large size is not a guarantee of resilience. There are basic metrics about company health that would not be too hard for you to learn, and working at a smaller company would be an education in any of itself in this if you have transparent leadership that talks about the goals and obstacles openly. Dentistry is actually a very dynamic sector of US health care. I have no idea whether ML diagnostics is solving any real problem, whether this company is doing it effectively, or what competitors exist, but I wouldn't write it off for the reasons you're implying.

azemetre 4y ago
That's fair, I feel like I don't know enough from the business side to be asking these types of questions during an interview. I feel like the only way to know is to actually work there but sometimes that can be a big gamble. That's what I'm trying to figure out how to avoid and what to ask. I suppose I'm basing my assumptions, for that explicit example, on dentistry isn't an assembly line process, it's very hard to increase the amount of patients you can see in a day. This product isn't helping that, so I personally see very little value being added. I could be completely wrong but I'm scared off enough to not even apply. I suppose I'd like to see job ads talking about how they are a good business rather than just talking about culture and tech. I understand this info can be proprietary, but yeah that's my struggle.
Arainach 4y ago
>large size is not a guarantee of resilience ....but tens of billions in cash and being massively profitable sure are.

dsugarman 4y ago

Work at a startup is a great place to look. The further stage they are (higher letter round), the more derisked they generally are. There's different pros and cons based on maturity but if you're looking for the most sustainable going with a later stage private startup that recently raised money (has a lot of momentum) is what I would recommend

lambic2 4y ago
Might want to specify https://www.workatastartup.com/ https://www.workatastartup.com/ - if OP hasn't heard of it, your comment might be interpreted as just "working at a startup" in the general sense.
alonmower 4y ago
One caution is that later stage private companies that raised big rounds at huge valuations will have a very hard time growing back into those valuations. Options granted have the potential to have high strike prices and limited to negative upside. If you’re getting RSUs it’s less of an issue but you may need to discount a bit from what they tell you they’re worth when you evaluate your offer. They do have lots of cash though, so you can probably negotiate strong salaries.