221–230 of 278 posts
This thread has reminded me of a concept (whose term I am struggling and failing to remember) that is as important, if not more, than what is traditionally thought of as the cap table. In the case of a sale, investors with would get their money back (possibly at an inflated ratio) before the rest of the money from the sale is distributed via equity. This is important because it means that even if you get favorable st…
It makes me wonder if YC intentionally penalizes posts like these, because ideas like these make it harder for their portfolio companies to hire employees.
Valid reasons to work for a startup: - You are a cofounder. - You have little experience and you are using this to break into the industry, and get experience on many different technologies ("wear many hats"). - They are working on a very specific problem or using a specific technology that you strongly desire to work on and it's difficult to do it anywhere else. - You want to work a certain way (remote, on the beach…
Main reason: it's more fun. I could be a cog in a giant corporate machine, or I can have a measurable impact where I work. I can stay in my lane and do my specific job tasks, or I can run around putting out fires and helping wherever help is needed. I mindlessly build the specific design product handed me, or I can guide my own work in accordance to the needs of our customers and the business. I can follow policy and…
That's kind of odd from my perspective, because that's exactly my niche, and yet, my very first job was at a startup (of about 3 people besides me), where I was a rapidly jettisoned cog, and every since I've gone to progressively bigger and more bureaucratic organizations while seeking, I guess, less definition of my role.
This thread has reminded me of a concept (whose term I am struggling and failing to remember) that is as important, if not more, than what is traditionally thought of as the cap table. In the case of a sale, investors with would get their money back (possibly at an inflated ratio) before the rest of the money from the sale is distributed via equity. This is important because it means that even if you get favorable st…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
For me I'm far too naturally transgressive to work at a large company. I really wish I could, life would be easier, less work, less stress, pay better... None of them will take me so I keep help building and (sometimes) exiting startups. It's really exhausting. 20 years of this... I wish more companies would value those who "challenge the book" instead of "follow the book" or that I could find a way to obediently fol…
It's funny how management tells us to think outside the box and then admonishes us when we do and they don't like it.
"Thinking outside the box" is cute virtue signalling but honestly that's what gets you kicked to the curb.
It will always be that way for any established entity because that act is fundamentally one of disestablishment
This thread has reminded me of a concept (whose term I am struggling and failing to remember) that is as important, if not more, than what is traditionally thought of as the cap table. In the case of a sale, investors with would get their money back (possibly at an inflated ratio) before the rest of the money from the sale is distributed via equity. This is important because it means that even if you get favorable st…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Good luck investing in private companies with $100k. The only way us serfs can get access to those opportunities is to chain our futures to the company and go work for them. Also means we can't diversify our portfolio like the VCs can.
You can diversify by investing in public markets, where you have actual liquidity. I've made more off of the Facebook stock I bought after the IPO than I have from any of the startups I worked for. One did have a "successful" exit, meaning the returns were positive, though nothing to write home about. I would've been better investing that money into Apple or AMD. All the people complaining about their worthless stock…
It's interesting that this post is falling off the front page so quickly. At the time of writing it has 537 points and is 8 hours old. There are many above it with much fewer points, that are much older (eg. 127 points, 12 hours). It makes me wonder if YC intentionally penalizes posts like these, because ideas like these make it harder for their portfolio companies to hire employees.
It's interesting that this post is falling off the front page so quickly. At the time of writing it has 537 points and is 8 hours old. There are many above it with much fewer points, that are much older (eg. 127 points, 12 hours). It makes me wonder if YC intentionally penalizes posts like these, because ideas like these make it harder for their portfolio companies to hire employees.
If this article is being penalized at all, that's probably the reason. HN generally penalizes articles about recurring topics. I suspect YC realizes it's in their best interest for their portfolio companies to be fair and transparent in their equity offers.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed, I am 40+ and am a CTO at a startup which has great work/life balance. We pay approximately market (for a normal dev job, not FAANG), haven't had people do overtime in well over a year, are transparent about finances, and have practically zero politics. It is also possible for a startup to be "stable", especially if it's bootstrapped/profitable.
'have practically zero politics' tingles my bs-meter. How would you know how your employees feel about this? There is always politics. Of course not for the ones who cannot be promoted further, but for everyone else. My boss not acknowledging the existence of politics would be a red flag to me.