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Personally I don't want people in my domain if they aren't interested in building cool shit and making technology better. If they are, well good for them. Hard

by leokun 13y ago

Personally I don't want people in my domain if they aren't interested in building cool shit and making technology better. If they are, well good for them. Hard for me to see someone who might have been interested in finance compatible with the people I work with though. Maybe they just all want to start startups or get into venture capital.

epenn 13y ago
A person can have multiple interests.
mathattack 13y ago
With all due respect... Even a great technical CEO can use the following, even if they're not explicitly motivated by building cool shit and making technology better: - For pre-IPO firms: Someone plugged in to all the investment bankers and investment managers, who has both an analytical and visceral feel for how tech firms are valued. - For firms with Enterprise customers: Someone who has a large rolodex of non-IT customers with P&L responsibility, who knows how to do their jobs as good as them. - For medium sized firms and above: Someone who knows every last legal issue around HR. It would be great to find folks like this who also have CS degrees and are passionate about technology. But folks with MBAs that fit these profiles but don't love the technology itself can still be valuable.
- nilkn 13y ago
  I don't think he's intending to contest those needs. I also don't think he meant to imply that they should have CS degrees. Obviously I can't speak for leokun, but my impression was that he simply doesn't want to see the industry flooded with people who only want to make a quick buck without caring the slightest bit about what they're actually doing. At the risk of generalizing far too much, the people who used to go to Wall Street didn't exactly have a reputation of caring about what they were contributing to the world; it's those same people who are now flocking to the tech sector. It's a viewpoint I can sympathize with. As someone who doesn't expect to get rich off an IPO or acquisition and therefore will be spending most (all?) of my working life in this industry, I'd prefer to work alongside competent people (whether that be in development or business) who aren't just trying to get rich quick.
- wisty 13y ago
  An MBA is a degree. What you're talking about comes with experience. The traditional way of doing it is to hire a programmer who's spent some time in management - they have the experience, and they can also understand the domain.
enjo 13y ago
The coolest thing I've ever built was a direct result of a finance guy who saw the potential, and then managed to put together the financing package to actually let me build it.

by leokun 13y ago

epenn 13y ago

A person can have multiple interests.

mathattack 13y ago

With all due respect... Even a great technical CEO can use the following, even if they're not explicitly motivated by building cool shit and making technology better: - For pre-IPO firms: Someone plugged in to all the investment bankers and investment managers, who has both an analytical and visceral feel for how tech firms are valued. - For firms with Enterprise customers: Someone who has a large rolodex of non-IT customers with P&L responsibility, who knows how to do their jobs as good as them. - For medium sized firms and above: Someone who knows every last legal issue around HR. It would be great to find folks like this who also have CS degrees and are passionate about technology. But folks with MBAs that fit these profiles but don't love the technology itself can still be valuable.

nilkn 13y ago
I don't think he's intending to contest those needs. I also don't think he meant to imply that they should have CS degrees. Obviously I can't speak for leokun, but my impression was that he simply doesn't want to see the industry flooded with people who only want to make a quick buck without caring the slightest bit about what they're actually doing. At the risk of generalizing far too much, the people who used to go to Wall Street didn't exactly have a reputation of caring about what they were contributing to the world; it's those same people who are now flocking to the tech sector. It's a viewpoint I can sympathize with. As someone who doesn't expect to get rich off an IPO or acquisition and therefore will be spending most (all?) of my working life in this industry, I'd prefer to work alongside competent people (whether that be in development or business) who aren't just trying to get rich quick.
wisty 13y ago
An MBA is a degree. What you're talking about comes with experience. The traditional way of doing it is to hire a programmer who's spent some time in management - they have the experience, and they can also understand the domain.

enjo 13y ago

The coolest thing I've ever built was a direct result of a finance guy who saw the potential, and then managed to put together the financing package to actually let me build it.