> Here is something that boggles my mind, I don’t know how it’s possible that so many people with web startups have no idea how the internet works? If I were to

> Here is something that boggles my mind, I don’t know how it’s possible that so many people with web startups have no idea how the internet works? If I were to open a shoe factory, I would learn all about making shoes. I would make a few shoes of my own. I would make sure that I knew everything that goes into making a shoe. Especially if I need to hire shoemakers, how else would I know if they are any good? > Developers can smell a non-technical founder from miles away. It tells them that you have zero respect for what they do, and you think they are just tools. The Twitter book by Nick Bilton mentioned no developers. Somehow that company was built with no developers. Your developers don’t want that to happen to them, and if you don’t care enough about what your company produces to learn how it works that’s the message you’re sending. Funny. The most attractive and profitable opportunities I have ever been presented with involved non-technical individuals with domain expertise and strong relationships in their market. They didn't unnecessarily pretend that they were something they weren't (read: a techie), and they didn't act like I was a god just because I knew how to code. They had spotted an interesting, potentially lucrative opportunity that required a website/web application and they were looking for a qualified partner who could help them exploit it. What boggles my mind is the number of "startups", most of them consumer focused, with: 1. A basic CRUD app. 2. A track record of "pre-traction" (read: modest usage/traffic at best). 3. Too many developers on staff using way too many [programming languages/frameworks/technologies]. You know, because it's cool to overengineer and prematurely optimize real-time distributed architectures, and stuff. 4. Compensation packages and office space that look great assuming you don't perform the burn rate math, which doesn't really matter. Unless you want to know how long your salary will last and your key to the office will work. And who wants to know that? 5. The mistaken belief that their employees don't have a social life of their own. You know, because everyone knows the best developers don't have friends. 6. The delusion that their use of AWS makes them a "technology company." You know, because that's more fashionable than calling your web-based staffing agency for animal trainers a staffing agency. The OP is right. There is no shortage of developers. But she's wrong about why so many companies can't seem to recruit them. These companies are not looking for developers. They're looking for developers who have more experience and skill than their "businesses" require and who also happen to be suckers. And there just aren't that many of these people out there.