3 ms·
Don't let yourself be played, is my advice now to young engineers Now how do we get them to listen? When I was a young engineer, I don't think I would have li
by danielweber 12y ago
Don't let yourself be played, is my advice now to young engineers
Now how do we get them to listen? When I was a young engineer, I don't think I would have listened to what you're saying here, although I now know I'm in complete agreement with it.
- gaius 12y agoYes the hype in the press makes it hard to convince the inexperienced that stock options just aren't worth that much money. Really, startup millionaires are lottery winners. You wouldn't take lottery tickets in lieu of pay, would you?
- marcosdumay 12y ago> Now how do we get them to listen? We don't. No generation was able to do that. But that's not completely a bad thing. When the newer generations repeat the same old mistakes, sometimes they find out that a few of those mistakes aren't anymore.
- gaius 12y agoIt will always be a mistake to overestimate the value of your stock or stock options. I'm not saying don't do startups. I'm saying don't be exploited. Take my 6-months-pay payout as a yardstick. Then ask if it's worth taking half the going wage, for 3 years, in return even for the guarantee of it, when it is by no means guaranteed. If I were to go to a startup again, I would expect to be paid a premium over the market rate, and I would see equity as a bonus. Otherwise why should I bust my ass to make a rich VC even richer?