Start cultivating offers now. If your current pay checks are still clearing you don't have to move in great haste. If you get an attractive offer: be as professional as you can but move on; offer to work hourly, if you can muster it, and on board new employees / contractors. Give as much notice as you think is prudent considering your new employers. If you were still enthused my advice would be different; I've spent enough time in start-ups without direction to know how frustrating and exhausting it can be. Don't languish for the sake of a broken organisation, find a healthy one and move on. I sympathise with caring about the welfare of your current employers but you can't do their job and yours at the same time.
Ask HN: losing faith in the startup where I'm employee #1
11–20 of 109 posts
Re: Ask HN: losing faith in the startup where I'm employee #1
#12The CTO is non-technical? How does that work?
Re: Ask HN: losing faith in the startup where I'm employee #1
#13During meetings, I always feel like a killjoy by attempting to be realistic ... about the brand new idea they come up with every other week and that I need to get started on right when the meeting ends.
I tire from that very thing, very quickly. I've worked with too many "idea" guys that always want to see 10 ideas started, vs. 1 completed and executed really well. Maybe they're trying to find that 1 great idea by trying out many, but a lot of times I see startups start one thing without finishing another. In the end, after XYZ time frame, the company really doesn't have 1 solid feature to show for it, only multiple half ass ones.
What's worse, at least from what I've experienced, is that a lot of those ideas or features are secondary, or tertiary, with regard to what the core product should really support.
Re: Ask HN: losing faith in the startup where I'm employee #1
#14The CTO is non-technical? How does that work?
Judging by the details of the post I'd say it does not.
Re: Ask HN: losing faith in the startup where I'm employee #1
#15Since we're all echoing the same sentiments, I'll offer some concrete, smaller points:
>I wouldn't want them to tarnish my reputation as a young engineer completely new to the valley/startup world
You can join a more established "startup", with say, 100 or so employees, and build a track record there.
As for a "reason for leaving", you can simply tell them that you just can't make ends meet anymore. Money is almost always a credible motive, and is actually more amicable than say, "your product sucks and this ship is sinking, so I'm heading to a sexier pasture".
By the way, is it just me, or is the description of the CTO seem more appropriate for a BizDev Officer rather than a Technology Officer? I'd be deeply skeptical of a founding CTO who isn't involved in the product at all at such an early stage.
Re: Ask HN: losing faith in the startup where I'm employee #1
#16Find a new place. And either move on, or try renegotiating your position at your current company. This post might help: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2949323
Re: Ask HN: losing faith in the startup where I'm employee #1
#17It's appreciable that you have this loyalty towards the founders. However your first loyalty is to yourself and to your interests.
Communicate with them, tell them why you think things aren't working, and propose ways the startup can make improvements.
If you encounter too much inertia and you know things aren't going to get better, find yourself something better to do.
Re: Ask HN: losing faith in the startup where I'm employee #1
#18The CTO is non-technical? How does that work?
From what I'm reading, this poster is the 'real' CTO so to speak.
Re: Ask HN: losing faith in the startup where I'm employee #1
#19Perhaps your decision to leave will be easier if you realize that if they needed to let you go, for whatever reason, they'd do it in a heartbeat. Not out of malice, and perhaps not without regret, but as a rational business decision.
Re: Ask HN: losing faith in the startup where I'm employee #1
#20You may like them, and they may be the nicest people on earth but that will not make you happy at work, make you successful or provide for your children.
You may want to try to bring some common sense in as a last try, but a year and no users or revenue is a major warning.
Out of 4 people only one can code...not a good thing, at all.