going to museums hardly makes me weep, but stuff like this touches a special place in my heart. i always wonder what the future of digital anthropology will be like, especially in the wake of DRM, and encryption.
Would you have answered this job ad?
21–30 of 56 posts
Re: Would you have answered this job ad?
#22Probably not (much to my regret). The only distinguishing factor is Bezos' name, and that is obvious only in retrospect. I see too many ads like this everyday for any one to stand out. Anyway, I'm going to console myself by saying I would've replied and seen them in person, and immediately realized they were onto something huge, blah blah blah
If anything the ad could discourage some because, not knowing any better, it may have looked like Bezos was one of those people who thinks you can make a late project finish sooner by working sweatshop hours (3x more hours to finish in 1/3 the time). Everyone asks for "communication skills" and everyone says they're the best and that their shit doesn't stink, too.
in '94 my friends were learning assembly language, and c. had my father been an electrical engineer rather than a chemical and plastics engineer, i might have caught the bandwagon. instead i was learning CAD, and winning Math and Junior Engineering competitions. by 96 i was learning java with only the value of getting me away from my homework. looking back, i did not tell my teachers off enough in high school. (they actually tried to hold be back because the school was going to run out of math courses, and they wanted me to take spanish over engineering graphics. i should have taken programming independently too. oh well hind sight is 20/20 and will do none of us any good unless we can some how make use of a time machine)
Re: Would you have answered this job ad?
#23Probably not. Clearly, he has unrealistic expectations of success. Who would buy things on the internet?
in '94/'95 i remember my friends telling me about ebay in gym class. doh, i wish i would have seen the potential of selling your stuff to strangers.
Re: Would you have answered this job ad?
#24Yeah, I was pretty broke in college.
Re: Would you have answered this job ad?
#25something else to learn from this, is how we should all look for employees. a number of the books i have read like "good to great" and "built to last" have suggested the only true way to build a great company is to create an environment where the right people flock, and the wrong people leave on their own. setting the bar this high from the start will have this effect, and will give you the authority to tell someone the are good, but just not what you were looking for. it will keep your costs low, the expectations high, and the time you spend managing down.
i wonder which amazon employee/ founder was hired as a result of that ad.
Re: Would you have answered this job ad?
#26Maybe someone in the MA area will be kicking themselves for not answering this one in a few years:
Re: Would you have answered this job ad?
#27Probably not. Clearly, he has unrealistic expectations of success. Who would buy things on the internet?
in '94/'95 i remember my friends telling me about ebay in gym class. doh, i wish i would have seen the potential of selling your stuff to strangers.
Must have been late 1995 (if not 1996) given eBay's start date.
Re: Would you have answered this job ad?
#28The add seems very reasonable (in the startup mentality kind of way):
"Well-capitalized start-up seeks extremely talented C/C++/Unix developers to help pioneer commerce on the Internet. " -- Good. I want to work with only other top notch developers.
"You must have experience designing and building large and complex (yet maintainable) systems, and you should be able to do so in about one-third the time that most competent people think possible. " -- Ok. I get it, you want the very good fast types. But are you willing to pay for it?
"Familiarity with web servers and HTML would be helpful but is not necessary. " -- Awesome. You just showed that you know what is important. Don't you love adds that say must know HTML. How hard is to learn anyways?
"Your compensation will include meaningful equity ownership. " -- Awesome. This is what I wanted to hear. You want great developers, but you are willing to compesate them in a meaningful and fair way.
If I knew C/C++ that well, at the time, and if I wasn't in school, and if I was around the area of Seatles, I would have responded to his ad.
I am still waiting for some ad like this, but in the mobile space.
Re: Would you have answered this job ad?
#29The add seems very reasonable (in the startup mentality kind of way): "Well-capitalized start-up seeks extremely talented C/C++/Unix developers to help pioneer commerce on the Internet. " -- Good. I want to work with only other top notch developers. "You must have experience designing and building large and complex (yet maintainable) systems, and you should be able to do so in about one-third the time that most compe…
1) Yeah, it's a reasonable ad - but that's my point. Almost all ads are "reasonable". You never see an ad saying "Startup looking for mediocre developers." Nothing about this one really resonates.
2) "if I wasn't in school, and if I was around the area of seatles". If I knew this was going to be Amazon, I would MOVE to Seattle and take a leave of absence from school.
Re: Would you have answered this job ad?
#30The add seems very reasonable (in the startup mentality kind of way): "Well-capitalized start-up seeks extremely talented C/C++/Unix developers to help pioneer commerce on the Internet. " -- Good. I want to work with only other top notch developers. "You must have experience designing and building large and complex (yet maintainable) systems, and you should be able to do so in about one-third the time that most compe…
1) Yeah, it's a reasonable ad - but that's my point. Almost all ads are "reasonable". You never see an ad saying "Startup looking for mediocre developers." Nothing about this one really resonates. 2) "if I wasn't in school, and if I was around the area of seatles". If I knew this was going to be Amazon, I would MOVE to Seattle and take a leave of absence from school.
no, but you definitely see ads that don't smell right. the ones written in rigid language that require 5+ years in several mediocre technologies.