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<s> Let's also talk about the incredibly short shrift founders get who are bootstrapping pre-product. Why do I need to complete a product and make sales, get f

<s> Let's also talk about the incredibly short shrift founders get who are bootstrapping pre-product. Why do I need to complete a product and make sales, get funding, before I can pay myself a salary? Building a company require resources. I have to eat and pay rent. But my company, without resources, can't pay me, even if I'm 100% of its labor pool, being a solo founder/CEO (on the startup I'm referring to - there's another I'm involved with with a cofounder); No salary. Why can't I just write a SMALL check to myself, why do I need either investment or sales to do this? Can't the money just NOT have to come from somewhere? This is rather unfair, I hope people here will agree. The only way I see out is building massive value. Unlike your example, where you get 1% while having a six-figure salary and chance to learn to do it all and become a millionaire on your own next, I am not even earning 5 figures. how is this fair? Maybe I shouldn't be doing a startuuuuuuu -oh, I see what your problem is :) :) :) </s> Seriously. Why do you want to work for a startup if you don't want to end up with 1% of a $100M company, while receiving six figures for the privilege (i.e. someone is paying you, six figures, to play the lottery; and being highly technical and having direct effect in your role, you both have asymmetric information and can build the lotterys' RNG yourself, e.g. by building the best product on the market and protecting that status.) Finally you get to learn everything it takes to found your own startup and receive funding later. there are a million BigCorp's that compete without regard for startup aignment or risk/reward. what makes you want to work for a startup anyway, given what you've described? Wouldn't you be a better match for Microsoft or Google? honest questions here and a perspective from the other side - someone with a large founding appetite rather than salary requirement.

eropple 12y ago
The odds are hilariously against your startup being a $100MM company. They are not hilariously against your company being shitty, exploitative, and--my favorite--promising to prepare J. Random Engineer to "found their own startup" while instead leeching their free time and their weekends for your dream of socialmobilelocal. And let's be very clear about something: "making six figures" does not mean you are not being exploited. The magnitude of that exploitation certainly differs from that of economic underclasses, but the attitude does not. And I am mostly out of startups these days because of the attitudes expressed in your post. I cheer for a bubble, because it'll wash some of the toxicity out--and you espouse a lot of it.
- logicallee 12y ago
  the odds are hilariously against ycombinator picking 716 startups and having those companies end up with a combined valuation of $30 billion, an average of $41 million, including only current rounds that have already closed.[1] but it's a fact, and statistically relevant. if you have an allergy to hilarious facts, you probably should stop learning about startups, because there is a lot more where that came from. [1] http://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-portfolio-stats http://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-portfolio-stats
  - jazzyk 12y ago
    One problem, though. You are confusing current valuations based on what price investors are willing to provide additional funding at, with the liquidity/exit valuation (IPO, acquisition, bankruptcy) which in many cases may be 0 or close to 0, if the company does not find any takers and runs out of money.

eropple 12y ago

The odds are hilariously against your startup being a $100MM company. They are not hilariously against your company being shitty, exploitative, and--my favorite--promising to prepare J. Random Engineer to "found their own startup" while instead leeching their free time and their weekends for your dream of socialmobilelocal. And let's be very clear about something: "making six figures" does not mean you are not being exploited. The magnitude of that exploitation certainly differs from that of economic underclasses, but the attitude does not. And I am mostly out of startups these days because of the attitudes expressed in your post. I cheer for a bubble, because it'll wash some of the toxicity out--and you espouse a lot of it.

logicallee 12y ago
the odds are hilariously against ycombinator picking 716 startups and having those companies end up with a combined valuation of $30 billion, an average of $41 million, including only current rounds that have already closed.[1] but it's a fact, and statistically relevant. if you have an allergy to hilarious facts, you probably should stop learning about startups, because there is a lot more where that came from. [1] http://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-portfolio-stats http://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-portfolio-stats
- jazzyk 12y ago
  One problem, though. You are confusing current valuations based on what price investors are willing to provide additional funding at, with the liquidity/exit valuation (IPO, acquisition, bankruptcy) which in many cases may be 0 or close to 0, if the company does not find any takers and runs out of money.