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I want to live to see these tools being deployed in VC offices. What are these guys doing anyway besides going to the gym, having coffee dates, and putting out

by baxtr 1y ago

I want to live to see these tools being deployed in VC offices. What are these guys doing anyway besides going to the gym, having coffee dates, and putting out BS posts on X?!

nostrademons 1y ago
Most of their job actually consists of having coffee dates, as well as looking like an impressive, put-together "thought leader". A rank & file VC is essentially a salesman. Their job is to understand everything that's going on in their sector, and have warm intros available so they can sell the founders of the actually-promising startups on having their firm invest. In general, you don't do this in the office. You get out and meet lots of people in the industry. Likewise, if you're a founder going into fundraising mode, your full-time job is to be a salesman. You go out and meet lots of investors and blow shit up their ass so they all believe you're the next hot thing, and then you play them off against each others so they keep escalating their termsheets. I've had founders tell me that everything you do in the fundraising game is performative - you should treat it like a months-long acting gig where everything you do is designed to elicit the desired emotional reaction to get investors to open their portfolios.
- username135 1y ago
  that sounds exhausting
- skolskoly 1y ago
  On some level they deeply desire for everyone to pay attention to them at all times, and they fear being ignored and irrelevant. Someone like that will struggle to understand that others don't get the same enjoyment out of being watched.
  - JumpCrisscross 1y ago
    > they deeply desire for everyone to pay attention to them at all times, and they fear being ignored and irrelevant You’re describing influencers who also happen to be VCs. Plenty of—perhaps most—successful VCs have no public profile.
- Aurornis 1y ago
  > A rank & file VC is essentially a salesman. When I was young I worked at a startup where the CEO was out of the office most of the time. One of my coworkers was irate about how he had to work hard, while the CEO was out there doing who knows what. Being young and impressionable it started to rub me the wrong way, too. Eventually one of the older guys informed me that the CEO was going out on sales trips to potential customers, meeting with investors, and doing a number of other in-person things that the company needed. That's why he wasn't in the office. I felt foolish for thinking that his job and my job should look the same and occur in the office. The disgruntled coworker didn't care, though. He wanted the CEO to be butts-in-seats and staring at a monitor because that's the only type of work he understood. I get the same vibes when people sneer at VCs for stuff like "meeting people all day". That's their job.
  - bdcravens 1y ago
    At least you recognize it. A lot of developers never get to the point where they accept that without the business side, the code doesn't matter. (To say nothing of where their paycheck comes from)
    - realo 1y ago
      ... and vice versa, my friend, don't forget that.
  - mrguyorama 1y ago
    Sure is funny that their "very important job" is to fly first class, stay in 3 star hotels, wine and dine and schmooz, have immense influence, and make a million dollars a year doing it. Sure is convenient while they chafe at the actual laborers for taking too many bathroom breaks.
    - pkaodev 1y ago
      3 star hotels seems out of place with the rest of the list.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago
  > Their job is to understand everything that's going on in their sector, and have warm intros available so they can sell the founders of the actually-promising startups on having their firm invest VCs’ job is to raise money. Sexy founders and past returns help with that. But the money is essentially booked when an LP signs a commitment.
liesandxander 1y ago
Yeah unfortunately the rich are always against the same for them; aka government regulations. Our modern rich were raised in a more religious time and our understanding of neuroscience today makes it pretty obvious they're still just patronizing geezers who think we owe validation of their story. When by the numbers every billionaire could not wake up tomorrow and we'd barely notice. It's not even a school shootings worth of victims. All their "be metrics driven" gibberish did not work out the way they'd hoped. Just a handful of morons humanity will carry on without some day.
- pixelready 1y ago
  Oh, we’d notice if the billionaires died overnight. Every news outlet and social media site would have a post about their boss dying. Every politician would immediately signal their intention to put every possible resource into getting to the bottom of it (as a reassurance to their new masters).
- daseiner1 1y ago
  [flagged]
Karrot_Kream 1y ago
Lol this is such an HN coded comment: * Opposition to surveilance? Check * Stereotyping and hating on management types? Check * Cynical flippant comment? Check * Small jab at X? Check I think worker surveillance is pretty awful myself but I just don't think this comment will lead to high quality replies. There's very little light and mostly heat in this comment but it will jive with the community culture strong enough to generate a bunch of grievance-oriented replies. The purpose of this comment is mostly to remind readers that we can strongly dislike something without reaching for low-effort ragebait to criticize it. Honestly, worker surveillance is so dumb it should be simple to dump on it factually.
- baxtr 1y ago
  That’s probably the best compliment I’ve received in a while. Thanks!
- eyesofgod 1y ago
  [flagged]
- kgwxd 1y ago
  Cool. Now analyze the format and purpose of your own comment.
  - HPsquared 1y ago
    Recursive algorithms are so satisfying.
- soulofmischief 1y ago
  People are allowed to be cynical, allowed to take jabs at the clown show that is X, allowed to criticize VC and surveillance culture. You should consider contributing to the discussion instead of making off-topic, passive-aggressive comments policing what people are allowed to like, discussing stereotypes while directly stereotyping OP and this community in general.
  - JumpCrisscross 1y ago
bearjaws 1y ago
The reality is, anyone in an executive or investor position almost doesn't even have a "job" in the way a salary employee does. There isn't really a unit of measurement other than connections and deals made, both of which may not even help them directly at that exact moment. They could be making deals for other individuals. Their job is to travel around, meet people, find new opportunities and network. Go to Disney? Make sure to book the Grand Floridian or Four Seasons (not hardware store) and make sure to let all your contacts know you are in town. Probably won't even go to the parks, just spend your time meeting with other ultra high wealth individuals. Going to a conference? Make sure you have 3-5 other meet and greets planned such that you are always going from person to person. Its a job that most people on this forum cannot even imagine. By it's very nature it has to be excessive, because the ultra wealthy live a life of excess. Not saying its hard, it is just different.
- tehjoker 1y ago
  The difference is the "job" involves getting real money for your effort because you're a big equity holder, and the job also does not wear you out physically unless you let it because meeting and talking with people doesn't have too many occupational hazards other than COVID-19.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago
  > anyone in an executive or investor position almost doesn't even have a "job" in the way a salary employee does This describes anyone at the top of their field. A star engineer or academic can spend their time however they please. (And giving them that freedom is generally a profitable bet.) > By it's very nature it has to be excessive, because the ultra wealthy live a life of excess It really doesn’t. It just glances with excess. You can pitch your company at Cannes or the Super Bowl without buying tickets to the events.
catlover76 1y ago
[dead]
overfeed 1y ago
> What are these guys doing anyway besides going to the gym, having coffee dates, and putting out BS posts on X?! Lots of drugs.

by baxtr 1y ago

I want to live to see these tools being deployed in VC offices. What are these guys doing anyway besides going to the gym, having coffee dates, and putting out BS posts on X?!

nostrademons 1y ago

Most of their job actually consists of having coffee dates, as well as looking like an impressive, put-together "thought leader". A rank & file VC is essentially a salesman. Their job is to understand everything that's going on in their sector, and have warm intros available so they can sell the founders of the actually-promising startups on having their firm invest. In general, you don't do this in the office. You get out and meet lots of people in the industry. Likewise, if you're a founder going into fundraising mode, your full-time job is to be a salesman. You go out and meet lots of investors and blow shit up their ass so they all believe you're the next hot thing, and then you play them off against each others so they keep escalating their termsheets. I've had founders tell me that everything you do in the fundraising game is performative - you should treat it like a months-long acting gig where everything you do is designed to elicit the desired emotional reaction to get investors to open their portfolios.

username135 1y ago
that sounds exhausting
skolskoly 1y ago
On some level they deeply desire for everyone to pay attention to them at all times, and they fear being ignored and irrelevant. Someone like that will struggle to understand that others don't get the same enjoyment out of being watched.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago
  > they deeply desire for everyone to pay attention to them at all times, and they fear being ignored and irrelevant You’re describing influencers who also happen to be VCs. Plenty of—perhaps most—successful VCs have no public profile.
Aurornis 1y ago
> A rank & file VC is essentially a salesman. When I was young I worked at a startup where the CEO was out of the office most of the time. One of my coworkers was irate about how he had to work hard, while the CEO was out there doing who knows what. Being young and impressionable it started to rub me the wrong way, too. Eventually one of the older guys informed me that the CEO was going out on sales trips to potential customers, meeting with investors, and doing a number of other in-person things that the company needed. That's why he wasn't in the office. I felt foolish for thinking that his job and my job should look the same and occur in the office. The disgruntled coworker didn't care, though. He wanted the CEO to be butts-in-seats and staring at a monitor because that's the only type of work he understood. I get the same vibes when people sneer at VCs for stuff like "meeting people all day". That's their job.
- bdcravens 1y ago
  At least you recognize it. A lot of developers never get to the point where they accept that without the business side, the code doesn't matter. (To say nothing of where their paycheck comes from)
  - realo 1y ago
    ... and vice versa, my friend, don't forget that.
- mrguyorama 1y ago
  Sure is funny that their "very important job" is to fly first class, stay in 3 star hotels, wine and dine and schmooz, have immense influence, and make a million dollars a year doing it. Sure is convenient while they chafe at the actual laborers for taking too many bathroom breaks.
  - pkaodev 1y ago
    3 star hotels seems out of place with the rest of the list.
JumpCrisscross 1y ago
> Their job is to understand everything that's going on in their sector, and have warm intros available so they can sell the founders of the actually-promising startups on having their firm invest VCs’ job is to raise money. Sexy founders and past returns help with that. But the money is essentially booked when an LP signs a commitment.

liesandxander 1y ago

Yeah unfortunately the rich are always against the same for them; aka government regulations. Our modern rich were raised in a more religious time and our understanding of neuroscience today makes it pretty obvious they're still just patronizing geezers who think we owe validation of their story. When by the numbers every billionaire could not wake up tomorrow and we'd barely notice. It's not even a school shootings worth of victims. All their "be metrics driven" gibberish did not work out the way they'd hoped. Just a handful of morons humanity will carry on without some day.

pixelready 1y ago
Oh, we’d notice if the billionaires died overnight. Every news outlet and social media site would have a post about their boss dying. Every politician would immediately signal their intention to put every possible resource into getting to the bottom of it (as a reassurance to their new masters).
daseiner1 1y ago
[flagged]

Karrot_Kream 1y ago

Lol this is such an HN coded comment: * Opposition to surveilance? Check * Stereotyping and hating on management types? Check * Cynical flippant comment? Check * Small jab at X? Check I think worker surveillance is pretty awful myself but I just don't think this comment will lead to high quality replies. There's very little light and mostly heat in this comment but it will jive with the community culture strong enough to generate a bunch of grievance-oriented replies. The purpose of this comment is mostly to remind readers that we can strongly dislike something without reaching for low-effort ragebait to criticize it. Honestly, worker surveillance is so dumb it should be simple to dump on it factually.

baxtr 1y ago
That’s probably the best compliment I’ve received in a while. Thanks!
eyesofgod 1y ago
[flagged]
kgwxd 1y ago
Cool. Now analyze the format and purpose of your own comment.
- HPsquared 1y ago
  Recursive algorithms are so satisfying.
soulofmischief 1y ago
People are allowed to be cynical, allowed to take jabs at the clown show that is X, allowed to criticize VC and surveillance culture. You should consider contributing to the discussion instead of making off-topic, passive-aggressive comments policing what people are allowed to like, discussing stereotypes while directly stereotyping OP and this community in general.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago

bearjaws 1y ago

The reality is, anyone in an executive or investor position almost doesn't even have a "job" in the way a salary employee does. There isn't really a unit of measurement other than connections and deals made, both of which may not even help them directly at that exact moment. They could be making deals for other individuals. Their job is to travel around, meet people, find new opportunities and network. Go to Disney? Make sure to book the Grand Floridian or Four Seasons (not hardware store) and make sure to let all your contacts know you are in town. Probably won't even go to the parks, just spend your time meeting with other ultra high wealth individuals. Going to a conference? Make sure you have 3-5 other meet and greets planned such that you are always going from person to person. Its a job that most people on this forum cannot even imagine. By it's very nature it has to be excessive, because the ultra wealthy live a life of excess. Not saying its hard, it is just different.

tehjoker 1y ago
The difference is the "job" involves getting real money for your effort because you're a big equity holder, and the job also does not wear you out physically unless you let it because meeting and talking with people doesn't have too many occupational hazards other than COVID-19.
JumpCrisscross 1y ago
> anyone in an executive or investor position almost doesn't even have a "job" in the way a salary employee does This describes anyone at the top of their field. A star engineer or academic can spend their time however they please. (And giving them that freedom is generally a profitable bet.) > By it's very nature it has to be excessive, because the ultra wealthy live a life of excess It really doesn’t. It just glances with excess. You can pitch your company at Cannes or the Super Bowl without buying tickets to the events.

catlover76 1y ago

[dead]

overfeed 1y ago

> What are these guys doing anyway besides going to the gym, having coffee dates, and putting out BS posts on X?! Lots of drugs.