3 ms·

I have no idea why a person would want to be an employee of a startup at an early stage. Seems like you get all of the downside with none/little of the upside.

I have no idea why a person would want to be an employee of a startup at an early stage. Seems like you get all of the downside with none/little of the upside. Can anyone that sees things differently provide some reasons?

freerobby 14y ago
My goal at my first startup was to optimize for learning and it served me very well for that. The perks I got: - Met investors and learned about the entire investing process - Got immersed in metrics/data-driven product development - Had a ton of autonomy even as a non-senior developer. - Made a name for myself in the local ecosystem. - Got to spend my time developing a product I loved and believed in.
- run4yourlives 14y ago
  These are all good reasons, but they strike me as being much more valuable to a person that is new in the industry, rather than one with several years of experience. I can certainly see the appeal for someone looking for experience, but I still don't see it for a seasoned professional. To me it seems as the only valid dichotomy is between being a founder yourself or working as an employee in a more established (but still perhaps small) business.
dguaraglia 14y ago
Bigger equity, more significant impact in the product and the learning experience. Those were my reasons. Also, some people love the idea of being "employee number X". I guess it could be an egobuster, but not really useful unless your company becomes Google or Amazon.
darkstar999 14y ago
There are lots of factors to consider. I joined an early-ish startup as an employee (still < 10 employees). My previous job was Dilbert-esque, so this has been awesome. Working in the same room with the entire company is great. Sure, I took a bit of a salary/benefits cut, but it is totally worth it. I'm having a lot more fun, and if I'm spending 40+ hours a week somewhere, I'll take actual happiness over material happiness.

freerobby 14y ago

My goal at my first startup was to optimize for learning and it served me very well for that. The perks I got: - Met investors and learned about the entire investing process - Got immersed in metrics/data-driven product development - Had a ton of autonomy even as a non-senior developer. - Made a name for myself in the local ecosystem. - Got to spend my time developing a product I loved and believed in.

run4yourlives 14y ago
These are all good reasons, but they strike me as being much more valuable to a person that is new in the industry, rather than one with several years of experience. I can certainly see the appeal for someone looking for experience, but I still don't see it for a seasoned professional. To me it seems as the only valid dichotomy is between being a founder yourself or working as an employee in a more established (but still perhaps small) business.

dguaraglia 14y ago

Bigger equity, more significant impact in the product and the learning experience. Those were my reasons. Also, some people love the idea of being "employee number X". I guess it could be an egobuster, but not really useful unless your company becomes Google or Amazon.

darkstar999 14y ago

There are lots of factors to consider. I joined an early-ish startup as an employee (still < 10 employees). My previous job was Dilbert-esque, so this has been awesome. Working in the same room with the entire company is great. Sure, I took a bit of a salary/benefits cut, but it is totally worth it. I'm having a lot more fun, and if I'm spending 40+ hours a week somewhere, I'll take actual happiness over material happiness.