5 ms·

Don’t waste your time in crappy startup jobs

160 points by Adrock 14y ago

etherael 14y ago
0 comments and 23 points? What's up with this? This seems like very compelling content to me.
- khein11 14y ago
  It's on the front page of /r/programming with 551 upvotes right now. Don't know what happened herer!
  - etherael 14y ago
    Yeah, that's actually where I saw it, very strange.
    - hexagonal 14y ago
      Could be the title. Wait a week, resubmit it with a different one.
- lallysingh 14y ago
  Simple, the article was just written, and most of HN's readership is still asleep.
  - etherael 14y ago
    For 20 hours?
    - lallysingh 14y ago
      When was it written? I see 9:24pm as the first response, and am using that as a proxy for the writing date. There's also the time needed for the article to bump its way up to the home page.
- cbs 14y ago
  >This seems like very compelling content to me. Very compelling content, everyone knows here isn't the place to talk about it. You have to keep in mind, YC points to HN as the place to go show off for PG. It literally says that on the how to apply page. Even if you're not here to suck up, you can be shadow-banned for being too critical of YC or the startups they've funded. edit: And thats just for me as a guy who doesn't post under a name connected to me or my online identity in any way. People for whom their comments can follow them around have even more reason to bite their tongue.
  - etherael 14y ago
    That thought had certainly crossed my mind, but I thought it was just paranoia, the continued disparity between /r/programming and here though does lend credence to the the theory.
Swizec 14y ago
How isn't this on the frontpage with 42 points? Everyone reading this coming from r/programming? Am I allowed to say "hello reddit" on hackernews?
- cbs 14y ago
  An article is critical of something the HN crowd tends to like. Why must the people giving this points come from reddit? Is anyone who questions the system not true enough of a Scotsman for you?
  - Swizec 14y ago
    Just that I came here from reddit where this was at the top of r/programming at the time. Full of vibrant discussion and upvotes. On HN ... it was 22 hours old and all evidence suggesting that it was never noticed here (no comments), but very popular elsewhere (a lot of upvotes/submissions) edit: it still is on top of r/programming with over a 1000 points.
- alecco 14y ago
  Most likely blocked out of front page by mods, given recent HN mod shenanigans.
  - heliodor 14y ago
    The expressed point of view is heresy on HN, so your point is not that far-fetched.
- Adrock 14y ago
  It never showed up in the HN RSS feed, either.
heliodor 14y ago
Stock options expiry: One important point that was not mentioned by OP is the typical contract clause most startups use that changes the expiry of your vested options from something like 10 years while you're employed to 30 days if you leave the startup. You took a below-market salary in exchange for equity options and if you leave your job you can't keep those options because you have to exercise them, otherwise they'll expire worthless. Basically, once you leave the company, you have to pay the company to buy its stock, otherwise your options expire and you get nothing in exchange for your sacrifice! See http://gigaom.com/2011/06/05/5-mistakes-you-cant-afford-to-make-with-stock-options/ http://gigaom.com/2011/06/05/5-mistakes-you-cant-afford-to-m...
ltabb 14y ago
Don't waste your time reading crappy articles about crappy startup jobs. Are all startups are the same? Yah Think? In working startupland, you get one bet at a time. pick a winner, make sure you have a ride and stop whining.
fecak 14y ago
I agree with a bit of this but I think this is more about managing unreallistic expectations than about start-ups. I wrote a rebuttal to this here - http://wp.me/s2ikdZ-startups http://wp.me/s2ikdZ-startups
- mcguire 14y ago
  An excellent reply, given that you only read about a third of Church's post.

160 points by Adrock 14y ago

etherael 14y ago

0 comments and 23 points? What's up with this? This seems like very compelling content to me.

khein11 14y ago
It's on the front page of /r/programming with 551 upvotes right now. Don't know what happened herer!
- etherael 14y ago
  Yeah, that's actually where I saw it, very strange.
  - hexagonal 14y ago
    Could be the title. Wait a week, resubmit it with a different one.
lallysingh 14y ago
Simple, the article was just written, and most of HN's readership is still asleep.
- etherael 14y ago
  For 20 hours?
  - lallysingh 14y ago
    When was it written? I see 9:24pm as the first response, and am using that as a proxy for the writing date. There's also the time needed for the article to bump its way up to the home page.
cbs 14y ago
>This seems like very compelling content to me. Very compelling content, everyone knows here isn't the place to talk about it. You have to keep in mind, YC points to HN as the place to go show off for PG. It literally says that on the how to apply page. Even if you're not here to suck up, you can be shadow-banned for being too critical of YC or the startups they've funded. edit: And thats just for me as a guy who doesn't post under a name connected to me or my online identity in any way. People for whom their comments can follow them around have even more reason to bite their tongue.
- etherael 14y ago
  That thought had certainly crossed my mind, but I thought it was just paranoia, the continued disparity between /r/programming and here though does lend credence to the the theory.

Swizec 14y ago

How isn't this on the frontpage with 42 points? Everyone reading this coming from r/programming? Am I allowed to say "hello reddit" on hackernews?

cbs 14y ago
An article is critical of something the HN crowd tends to like. Why must the people giving this points come from reddit? Is anyone who questions the system not true enough of a Scotsman for you?
- Swizec 14y ago
  Just that I came here from reddit where this was at the top of r/programming at the time. Full of vibrant discussion and upvotes. On HN ... it was 22 hours old and all evidence suggesting that it was never noticed here (no comments), but very popular elsewhere (a lot of upvotes/submissions) edit: it still is on top of r/programming with over a 1000 points.
alecco 14y ago
Most likely blocked out of front page by mods, given recent HN mod shenanigans.
- heliodor 14y ago
  The expressed point of view is heresy on HN, so your point is not that far-fetched.
Adrock 14y ago
It never showed up in the HN RSS feed, either.

heliodor 14y ago

Stock options expiry: One important point that was not mentioned by OP is the typical contract clause most startups use that changes the expiry of your vested options from something like 10 years while you're employed to 30 days if you leave the startup. You took a below-market salary in exchange for equity options and if you leave your job you can't keep those options because you have to exercise them, otherwise they'll expire worthless. Basically, once you leave the company, you have to pay the company to buy its stock, otherwise your options expire and you get nothing in exchange for your sacrifice! See http://gigaom.com/2011/06/05/5-mistakes-you-cant-afford-to-make-with-stock-options/ http://gigaom.com/2011/06/05/5-mistakes-you-cant-afford-to-m...

ltabb 14y ago

Don't waste your time reading crappy articles about crappy startup jobs. Are all startups are the same? Yah Think? In working startupland, you get one bet at a time. pick a winner, make sure you have a ride and stop whining.

fecak 14y ago

I agree with a bit of this but I think this is more about managing unreallistic expectations than about start-ups. I wrote a rebuttal to this here - http://wp.me/s2ikdZ-startups http://wp.me/s2ikdZ-startups

mcguire 14y ago
An excellent reply, given that you only read about a third of Church's post.