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So much nonsense in one article. If you think the "bar is so much lower" to becoming a founder then stop whining about being one of the forgotten early employee

So much nonsense in one article. If you think the "bar is so much lower" to becoming a founder then stop whining about being one of the forgotten early employees and get off your ass and start a company for the right reasons: finding a market opportunity and making money from it. If you can't or won't, then you can't expect the rewards. Early employees are important, and should be given credit and fair payment for their work, but their risk profile is far, far less than the founders and investors. Investors stand to lose their investment (which is an accumulation of work) and the founders can lose money, reputation, and time. In my last business I lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of my own money and five year's 24/7 sweat. Every employee walked away.

trevelyan 12y ago
Yeah. I was going to be upset at getting tarred as a naval-gazing member of the new startup elite, but then realized I make less money and have less social prestige than anyone Techcrunch actually cares about.
nostrademons 12y ago
I think the article is complaining precisely because many people are doing that; they refuse to be one of the forgotten early employees and start their own company. As a result, you get a glut of startups, a massive shortage of engineers (particularly in the startup ecosystem), and a series-A crunch as many of these startups fail to gain traction. The market may fix everything in the long run, but usually it does so through failure. The article seems like it's trying to get ahead of the curve and glorify being an early employee before it's popular. (Side note: I'm currently trying my own thing, but I wonder how well economically I would do by offering to be an early employee for high [>10%] equity stakes. My guess is I would get - reluctantly - laughed out of the office, but that's okay, because I've got my own thing and am probably more well-funded with better tech skills than they are.)

trevelyan 12y ago

Yeah. I was going to be upset at getting tarred as a naval-gazing member of the new startup elite, but then realized I make less money and have less social prestige than anyone Techcrunch actually cares about.

nostrademons 12y ago

I think the article is complaining precisely because many people are doing that; they refuse to be one of the forgotten early employees and start their own company. As a result, you get a glut of startups, a massive shortage of engineers (particularly in the startup ecosystem), and a series-A crunch as many of these startups fail to gain traction. The market may fix everything in the long run, but usually it does so through failure. The article seems like it's trying to get ahead of the curve and glorify being an early employee before it's popular. (Side note: I'm currently trying my own thing, but I wonder how well economically I would do by offering to be an early employee for high [>10%] equity stakes. My guess is I would get - reluctantly - laughed out of the office, but that's okay, because I've got my own thing and am probably more well-funded with better tech skills than they are.)