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Ask HN: Should I inform investors that my startup employer is a scam?

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101–110 of 112 posts

Re: Ask HN: Should I inform investors that my startup employer is a scam?

#101
Apologies I have no advice to give to your question (others have provided plenty).

However, if you don't mind sharing additional details, I'm interested in knowing how you arrived at the position. Did the company seem legit from the outside when you first started? Did you seek out the job, or were they the ones to initially reach out to recruit you? Knowing what you know now, what are the things you would watch out for to avoid falling prey to a scam company like this?

Re: Ask HN: Should I inform investors that my startup employer is a scam?

#102
It’s not worth it. I knew someone who was tasked with violating the laws of thermodynamics at a startup - and so he worked out the math that would disprove the second and enjoyed his time.

Do the same. They either know or don’t want to know.

Re: Ask HN: Should I inform investors that my startup employer is a scam?

#103
post #69

I'm gonna agree with qikInNdOutReply here: you work for a laundromat. If this has happened multiple times, it's entirely possible that all of the VCs involved are aware of it, and are in fact getting their money's worth. :-) Here's my advice to you, and I'm not going to say IANAL because you don't need to be a lawyer to know this: you are working for shady people. If it is, as seems likely, a laundering front, the ve…

The whole point of a laundry is to get money out that has an apparently legitimate source. That isn't happening here.

Exactly. This seems like it might be some type of tax shelter scheme.

Re: Ask HN: Should I inform investors that my startup employer is a scam?

#104
post #69

I'm gonna agree with qikInNdOutReply here: you work for a laundromat. If this has happened multiple times, it's entirely possible that all of the VCs involved are aware of it, and are in fact getting their money's worth. :-) Here's my advice to you, and I'm not going to say IANAL because you don't need to be a lawyer to know this: you are working for shady people. If it is, as seems likely, a laundering front, the ve…

The whole point of a laundry is to get money out that has an apparently legitimate source. That isn't happening here.

That’s one kind of laundry. Another is “how can I funnel millions to my friends and still get a tax deduction”.

Re: Ask HN: Should I inform investors that my startup employer is a scam?

#105
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you explain? "Money laundering" businesses are cash businesses. If the money is already in the legitimate banking system it doesn't need to be laundered, even if it's from an "oligarch". How does this help? As someone below commented, it seems more likely that the VCs are stealing from their investors.

The world is more complex than that. Things like sanctions and countries (not) fully implementing the sanctions create a world in which the transport of sanctioned ‘money’ (or money owned by sanctioned people) from place X to Y is only possible via constructions as the one hinted on here. Dirty money is not always cash. Even bank held funds can be dirty enough to require cleaning.

Yep it may be entirely illegal for a foreign entity to buy fifty million dollars worth of brand new excavators, but entirely legal for them to invest fifty million in crappy startups that burn money buying weird things like excavators.

Re: Ask HN: Should I inform investors that my startup employer is a scam?

#107
welcome to how 80% of startups roll

most people capable of raising money have connections… buddies and social capital

i never raised money for my company. meanwhile a well known VC funded a competitor because of connections or because they like the founder’s “energy”. after a few years the company went bankrupt. the guy went on to raise money again. we had far superior technology far beyond what they were able to develop. it would have been cheaper to acquire us.

TL;DR most peole who succesfully raise do so because of different reasons than having a product or revenue.

Re: Ask HN: Should I inform investors that my startup employer is a scam?

#108
post #69

I'm gonna agree with qikInNdOutReply here: you work for a laundromat. If this has happened multiple times, it's entirely possible that all of the VCs involved are aware of it, and are in fact getting their money's worth. :-) Here's my advice to you, and I'm not going to say IANAL because you don't need to be a lawyer to know this: you are working for shady people. If it is, as seems likely, a laundering front, the ve…

The whole point of a laundry is to get money out that has an apparently legitimate source. That isn't happening here.

I think the correct term is 'syphon'. In my country we had this famous startup raising tens of millions with a product that existed only on paper. Suddenly tons of people employed with salaries triple of what's reasonably expected, tons of marketing fluff and very little substance. It looked almost identical to what OP described. Fast forward a couple of years, they still seem to be doing something but I bet owners did extract a few cool millions out of it.
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