3 ms·
Might I suggest not being "just a programmer" then? In a startup it's extremely important for founders to wear many hats and share many burdens. If you're the
by Alupis 3y ago
Might I suggest not being "just a programmer" then?
In a startup it's extremely important for founders to wear many hats and share many burdens.
If you're the person that just goes off into a cave and emerges with beautiful code 6 weeks later and then expects everything to be great - you're wrong. There's a massive amount of foundational work to do to support a startup that technical people don't even think about.
- chefandy 3y agoAs someone who's rarely been "just a programmer" or "just a designer," that hasn't stopped me from being viewed as such by managers if it's convenient for them to mentally classify me as such.
- tptacek 3y agoYour cofounder in a new startup isn't your manager.
- chefandy 3y agoThe point is you can act like whatever you want, and so can everybody else, and often that means they'll be idiots, often in consequential ways. That's life.
- Alupis 3y agoThe point is if you act like an employee, you will be treated as an employee. Starting a company is not easy. If you stand around and only do tech, then you're not a founder, you are an employee. If you have to ask "what needs to be done next?" you are not a founder, you are an employee. If you call someone your manager, then you are an employee.
- Alupis 3y agoIf that's happening then you're not really a cofounder - you're acting like an employee. If you're a cofounder you do not have a manager... Starting a company requires a diverse set of skills, almost none of which are technical. A technical person can excel at those tasks, but they have to have the desire to figure out what needs to be done before asking what needs to be done.