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I’d be happy if 37signals is the last place I work. I've had this exact same attitude at every company (many!) I've ever worked at. Until someone or something

by edw519 14y ago

I’d be happy if 37signals is the last place I work. I've had this exact same attitude at every company (many!) I've ever worked at. Until someone or something completely outside my control fucked it up. Then I took my positive attitude and moved on to my next "last place to work". Kinda makes a difference if it's your company, huh?

jshen 14y ago
It only makes it slightly better if it's your company, but even if it's your own company something out of your control can fuck it up. We often forget that you can get kicked out of your own company. Apple, Cisco, etc. I once did an amazing startup that was working in the online pokern space, we were making good money and everyone loved what we were doing. Congress fucked that up! The world is full of uncertainty, and the grass isn't that much greener with your own company, if it is even greener at all.
alberth 14y ago
>>"I’d be happy if 37signals is the last place I work." It's crazy to me that a co-founder of a company would talk this way about their own business ... at least publicly. For a company with paying customers, this kind of statement doesn't instill confidence in the long-term commitment of it's founders in the business.
- angersock 14y ago
  I think you misread the meaning--I think he's saying "Hey, I don't ever want to work for/work at/start another company". That's the opposite of what you're worried about.
  - ksmiley 14y ago
    Perhaps he thinks the cofounder wants to coast along in a cushy position for the rest of his life, burdening the company. He's saying "phew! I don't ever have to apply for another job! puts feet on desk" Not that I agree with it, but I understand the interpretation. It's a fairly common view in the tech industry that you should get a new job every 18 months or else your skills will degrade.
- moconnor 14y ago
  In what way does a co-founder intending to stay with the company put its long-term commitment to paying customers at risk?
  - eric-hu 14y ago
    My guess is that the statement "I’d be happy if 37signals is the last place I work." is very similar to: "37signals is the last place I'd want to work" ...which is quite a polar difference from the first statement.
- eyko 14y ago
  what?
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
jonnathanson 14y ago
I think we've fully transitioned from the old world, wherein we built our careers around a given company. These days we have to build our careers around skill sets, or industry circles, or knowledge bases. Essentially, the 40-year investment is no longer in Company X, but in Company Me. This is not necessarily our choice. But the economy and the job market are a lot more fluid -- sometimes for good, sometimes for bad -- than they were in the past. Even if someone wanted to settle into one company for the long haul, that's not only unlikely, but perhaps even highly improbable. The company itself is likely to be changing and reorganizing at a pace as constant and rapid as its market. The old tradeoff between BigCorp and Startups used to be that Startups were riskier and more exciting, whereas BigCorp was slower, a bit more boring, but highly stable. The stability has fallen out of that equation to a large degree. These days it's a choice between relative degrees of comfort and risk, rather than absolute degrees thereof. Again, much of this is market driven. There are startlingly few companies, big or small, that look anything like what they did five or ten years ago. It's a safe bet that they won't look the way they do today in another five or ten years. Some people thrive in this sort of environment, and those people would probably call it "dynamic." Others hate it, and they'd call it "unstable." Both would probably have to admit, one way or the other, that it's not as easy.
- codegeek 14y ago
  "the 40-year investment is no longer in Company X, but in Company Me." Upvoted for this. If everyone understands this well, they will surely be more happy in the long run.
  - davidw 14y ago
    I wonder if perhaps it's time for the pendulum to swing back the other way some. I mean, I'm pretty happy doing my own thing, but there are plenty of people who just want to have some security in life, and in a world where there's little of that, a company that provides some might be able to attract people. Maybe not in an industry like ours, but who knows... just a random thought.
    - 14y ago
paulhauggis 14y ago
This is exactly my thought. No matter where you work (unless you own the company of course), you will always have to do work that you don't want to do. My biggest issue is deadlines. At my current company, the boss constantly adds things and changes his mind on a daily basis..even when there are hard deadlines. He also ignores the fact that it will add time onto the deadline (many people have tried), but expects everything to be done on the same timeline. This is why I have decided to work for myself.
- sokoloff 14y ago
  Congrats. Be prepared to still do a lot of work that you don't want to do. It'll just might more clear why and feel more like a rational choice, but make no mistake: you'll have a lot to do that you don't want to do...

by edw519 14y ago

jshen 14y ago

It only makes it slightly better if it's your company, but even if it's your own company something out of your control can fuck it up. We often forget that you can get kicked out of your own company. Apple, Cisco, etc. I once did an amazing startup that was working in the online pokern space, we were making good money and everyone loved what we were doing. Congress fucked that up! The world is full of uncertainty, and the grass isn't that much greener with your own company, if it is even greener at all.

alberth 14y ago

>>"I’d be happy if 37signals is the last place I work." It's crazy to me that a co-founder of a company would talk this way about their own business ... at least publicly. For a company with paying customers, this kind of statement doesn't instill confidence in the long-term commitment of it's founders in the business.

angersock 14y ago
I think you misread the meaning--I think he's saying "Hey, I don't ever want to work for/work at/start another company". That's the opposite of what you're worried about.
- ksmiley 14y ago
  Perhaps he thinks the cofounder wants to coast along in a cushy position for the rest of his life, burdening the company. He's saying "phew! I don't ever have to apply for another job! puts feet on desk" Not that I agree with it, but I understand the interpretation. It's a fairly common view in the tech industry that you should get a new job every 18 months or else your skills will degrade.
moconnor 14y ago
In what way does a co-founder intending to stay with the company put its long-term commitment to paying customers at risk?
- eric-hu 14y ago
  My guess is that the statement "I’d be happy if 37signals is the last place I work." is very similar to: "37signals is the last place I'd want to work" ...which is quite a polar difference from the first statement.
eyko 14y ago
what?
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

jonnathanson 14y ago

I think we've fully transitioned from the old world, wherein we built our careers around a given company. These days we have to build our careers around skill sets, or industry circles, or knowledge bases. Essentially, the 40-year investment is no longer in Company X, but in Company Me. This is not necessarily our choice. But the economy and the job market are a lot more fluid -- sometimes for good, sometimes for bad -- than they were in the past. Even if someone wanted to settle into one company for the long haul, that's not only unlikely, but perhaps even highly improbable. The company itself is likely to be changing and reorganizing at a pace as constant and rapid as its market. The old tradeoff between BigCorp and Startups used to be that Startups were riskier and more exciting, whereas BigCorp was slower, a bit more boring, but highly stable. The stability has fallen out of that equation to a large degree. These days it's a choice between relative degrees of comfort and risk, rather than absolute degrees thereof. Again, much of this is market driven. There are startlingly few companies, big or small, that look anything like what they did five or ten years ago. It's a safe bet that they won't look the way they do today in another five or ten years. Some people thrive in this sort of environment, and those people would probably call it "dynamic." Others hate it, and they'd call it "unstable." Both would probably have to admit, one way or the other, that it's not as easy.

codegeek 14y ago
"the 40-year investment is no longer in Company X, but in Company Me." Upvoted for this. If everyone understands this well, they will surely be more happy in the long run.
- davidw 14y ago
  I wonder if perhaps it's time for the pendulum to swing back the other way some. I mean, I'm pretty happy doing my own thing, but there are plenty of people who just want to have some security in life, and in a world where there's little of that, a company that provides some might be able to attract people. Maybe not in an industry like ours, but who knows... just a random thought.
  - 14y ago

paulhauggis 14y ago

This is exactly my thought. No matter where you work (unless you own the company of course), you will always have to do work that you don't want to do. My biggest issue is deadlines. At my current company, the boss constantly adds things and changes his mind on a daily basis..even when there are hard deadlines. He also ignores the fact that it will add time onto the deadline (many people have tried), but expects everything to be done on the same timeline. This is why I have decided to work for myself.

sokoloff 14y ago
Congrats. Be prepared to still do a lot of work that you don't want to do. It'll just might more clear why and feel more like a rational choice, but make no mistake: you'll have a lot to do that you don't want to do...