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> Let's say you did ask the question and got an as-honest-as-you-can-expect answer. (two months, but we're soon to close a million-dollar round) How does that r

> Let's say you did ask the question and got an as-honest-as-you-can-expect answer. (two months, but we're soon to close a million-dollar round) How does that really help you make your decision? You could look at them and try to judge whether they might make their round, but you're probably better off in Vegas. How doesn't this help you make a decision? Given the number of opportunities out there today, including opportunities outside of Startupville, there's no reason an experienced or talented candidate has to gamble on a startup that might not be able to make payroll if a funding round doesn't close in the next n weeks or months. By the way: there's no such thing as an "as-honest-as-you-can-expect" answer. There's an honest answer and there's a dishonest answer. A founder, executive or hiring manager at a startup should be able to look you in the eye and tell you how much runway the company has based on its current cash position, cash flow and burn rate. Anything less, including an answer that distorts what "runway" means (hint: funding that you expect to raise but haven't yet raised doesn't count), is a huge red flag that you ignore at your own peril.

vinceguidry 13y ago
> Given the number of opportunities out there today, including opportunities outside of Startupville, there's no reason an experienced or talented candidate has to gamble on a startup that might not be able to make payroll if a funding round doesn't close in the next n weeks or months. You're absolutely right. There's no compelling reason to work in Startupsville. If you're there, then you're already being fairly irrational. Knowing the (current) runway isn't going to make it any less so. > A founder, executive or hiring manager at a startup should be able to look you in the eye and tell you how much runway the company has based on its current cash position, cash flow and burn rate. Is this actually true, or a pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking thing? The article seems to paint the latter picture. I've been in situations where overconfidence and unrealistic optimism were the norm rather than the exception. Like auto sales. You'll fall out pretty quick if you can't get with the program and insist on being a wet blanket. You have to get good at reading between the lines because nobody talks straight. Opportunities are there, but mostly only for the morally loose.
- 7Figures2Commas 13y ago
  > You're absolutely right. There's no compelling reason to work in Startupsville. If you're there, then you're already being fairly irrational. Knowing the (current) runway isn't going to make it any less so. I think you took my comment too far. Working at a startup isn't for everyone, and there are plenty of great opportunities outside of the startup world, but not every startup is a sinking ship that's hiring new employees when it only has two weeks of cash left. > Is this actually true, or a pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking thing? The article seems to paint the latter picture. I've been in situations where overconfidence and unrealistic optimism were the norm rather than the exception. Like auto sales. You decide what's important to you. If understanding the financial state of a company that's going to employ you is important, you have every right to ask questions. This is especially reasonable at a startup, where most employees are granted stock options. If a company offers you an ownership stake, why shouldn't it treat you like an owner? You should turn your auto sales analogy around because you're looking at it the wrong way. If a used car salesman is trying to sell you a car and won't let you take a look under the hood, what are you going to do? Buy the car, or move on? The latter of course. So why would you join a startup if the "salesman" evades questions about what's under the hood of the business? Just because there are a lot of people who are too naive or timid to ask questions doesn't mean that you should follow their lead. The latest boom has attracted a fair number of shysters to the Bay Area, but there are still plenty of honest people here who will level with you without hesitation. These are the people you want to work for and/or with.
  - vinceguidry 13y ago
    > Working at a startup isn't for everyone, and there are plenty of great opportunities outside of the startup world, but not every startup is a sinking ship that's hiring new employees when it only has two weeks of cash left. The ones with significant upside potential are. If a "startup job" is really just a normal job with normal job security and a normal paycheck, then you're never going to get the chance to strike it rich. It's just a slightly-better-than-average job. > You should turn your auto sales analogy around because you're looking at it the wrong way. No I think you read me the wrong way. I'm talking about you going into auto sales as a salesman, not you trying to buy a car. That's far closer to what you're doing by joining a garden-variety Silicon Valley startup.

vinceguidry 13y ago

> Given the number of opportunities out there today, including opportunities outside of Startupville, there's no reason an experienced or talented candidate has to gamble on a startup that might not be able to make payroll if a funding round doesn't close in the next n weeks or months. You're absolutely right. There's no compelling reason to work in Startupsville. If you're there, then you're already being fairly irrational. Knowing the (current) runway isn't going to make it any less so. > A founder, executive or hiring manager at a startup should be able to look you in the eye and tell you how much runway the company has based on its current cash position, cash flow and burn rate. Is this actually true, or a pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking thing? The article seems to paint the latter picture. I've been in situations where overconfidence and unrealistic optimism were the norm rather than the exception. Like auto sales. You'll fall out pretty quick if you can't get with the program and insist on being a wet blanket. You have to get good at reading between the lines because nobody talks straight. Opportunities are there, but mostly only for the morally loose.

7Figures2Commas 13y ago
> You're absolutely right. There's no compelling reason to work in Startupsville. If you're there, then you're already being fairly irrational. Knowing the (current) runway isn't going to make it any less so. I think you took my comment too far. Working at a startup isn't for everyone, and there are plenty of great opportunities outside of the startup world, but not every startup is a sinking ship that's hiring new employees when it only has two weeks of cash left. > Is this actually true, or a pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking thing? The article seems to paint the latter picture. I've been in situations where overconfidence and unrealistic optimism were the norm rather than the exception. Like auto sales. You decide what's important to you. If understanding the financial state of a company that's going to employ you is important, you have every right to ask questions. This is especially reasonable at a startup, where most employees are granted stock options. If a company offers you an ownership stake, why shouldn't it treat you like an owner? You should turn your auto sales analogy around because you're looking at it the wrong way. If a used car salesman is trying to sell you a car and won't let you take a look under the hood, what are you going to do? Buy the car, or move on? The latter of course. So why would you join a startup if the "salesman" evades questions about what's under the hood of the business? Just because there are a lot of people who are too naive or timid to ask questions doesn't mean that you should follow their lead. The latest boom has attracted a fair number of shysters to the Bay Area, but there are still plenty of honest people here who will level with you without hesitation. These are the people you want to work for and/or with.
- vinceguidry 13y ago
  > Working at a startup isn't for everyone, and there are plenty of great opportunities outside of the startup world, but not every startup is a sinking ship that's hiring new employees when it only has two weeks of cash left. The ones with significant upside potential are. If a "startup job" is really just a normal job with normal job security and a normal paycheck, then you're never going to get the chance to strike it rich. It's just a slightly-better-than-average job. > You should turn your auto sales analogy around because you're looking at it the wrong way. No I think you read me the wrong way. I'm talking about you going into auto sales as a salesman, not you trying to buy a car. That's far closer to what you're doing by joining a garden-variety Silicon Valley startup.