4 ms·

Having done nine startups now, all that rings pretty true to me. :)

• mkoryak 12y ago
  9 startups over the span of how many years? Why do you keep doing it? Do you have kids ;) ?
  • karcass 12y ago
    I started at Apple in 1994. I left to found a startup in 1997. It was an delightful and educational disaster; I learned that I loved startups but didn't have the constitution to lead them. My tenures at these startups were anywhere from 18 months (acquired for modest payout) to 8 years (IPO for modest payout). I keep doing it because of the reasons listed in the article. Flexibility, ability to have significant influence, get to work on cutting-edge stuff, have to furiously learn new stuff. Plus I enjoy the recruiting and team building -- I am an extrovert. :) Yes, I have one kid. I tutor math at her elementary school. (See 'flexibility', above.)
    • deleted 12y ago
      [deleted]
      • rayiner 12y ago
        Apple IPO'ed in 1980, at a $1.8 billion ($5.2 billion inflation-adjusted) valuation. 1994 was fourteen years after that, when the organization was in decline.
        • karcass 12y ago
          I have worked at nine startups since leaving Apple. I did not say that Apple was a startup.
          • rayiner 12y ago
            I know. There was a (now deleted) comment between yours and mine that said "wow, you were an early Apple employee, what was it like?" I figured that poster didn't realize how old Apple is.
            • karcass 12y ago
              Ahhhhh sorry.
  • danielweber 12y ago
    I've done about half that many. Start-ups can be nice in many ways. I'd still love everyone considering a start-up to read the linked essay, because a flood of over-optimistic employees can drive down wages and working conditions. Demand good wages, demand good working conditions, don't let "we are a start-up" be an excuse for someone getting you to eat a shit sandwich.