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Big Cuts at Airy Labs, Ex-Employees Blame Management

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Re: Big Cuts at Airy Labs, Ex-Employees Blame Management

#21

Post by JS_startup »

coryl wrote: post #20
JS_startup wrote: post #19

This sounds like a culture clash. Asian cultures (Korean and Chinese specifically) have a really unique family dynamic which you could describe as boundaryless; I worked for a Korean entrepreneur for a while and he said it's a foregone conclusion that if the business strikes it big his family members get to come share in the success. Hsu should have tried harder to understand the cultural dynamic in the US.

Not that I know for a fact, but I'd think he was born in the US.

I'm speculating as well. From the article it sounds like he is second generation Korean or Chinese.

Re: Big Cuts at Airy Labs, Ex-Employees Blame Management

#22

Post by [deleted] »

jessepickard wrote: post #13
blake8086 wrote: post #2

I have a deep interest in educational games. When I found out about Airy Labs, I applied and interviewed with them in August 2011. I got the impression the engineers were very smart, and very overworked. When we got to discussing numbers, Hsu was interested in a low five-figure salary. I sent him a few emails asking about things like revenue model. I was concerned that IAP corrupts the incentive structure around educ…

I'm a co-founder of a profitable 11-person educational gaming company called MindSnacks, so I have a pretty solid perspective on what works in this space. The key to making IAP work in an educational gaming company is keeping things really simple. We give away one lesson for free and then offer the remaining 49 for a one-time $5.00 fee. If you get greedy and try to squeeze payments out of your user at every turn, you…

[deleted]

Re: Big Cuts at Airy Labs, Ex-Employees Blame Management

#23

Post by temphn »

rachelbythebay wrote: post #16

"Employees were warned against socializing or discussing their compensation with other members of the team." People working in the US really need to know about the National Labor Relations Act and what it means in terms of discussing salaries. Not having this kind of information out there is a bad thing for employees and lovely for conniving bosses.

Oh yeah, the NLRA. As opposed to just quitting and finding a better job? Getting the government (or unions) involved in variably makes a situation like this worse. Just walk away.

Re: Big Cuts at Airy Labs, Ex-Employees Blame Management

#24

Post by Alex3917 »

yummyfajitas wrote: post #17
Alex3917 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this says more about entrepreneurs in the education space than it does about the program. For whatever reason this space seems to consistently attract shady and/or underqualified people. I think the reason is that education is an area where you can't really contribute anything of value unless you are well versed in the science. Because of this it's really easy to snow virtually everyone, from investors and th…

I think the reason is that education is an area where you can't really contribute anything of value unless you are well versed in the science. As far as I'm aware, the #1 education startup was created by someone who was poorly versed in the "science" of education. He seems to be improving things with science now, but that's a fairly recent thing.

"As far as I'm aware, the #1 education startup was created by someone who was poorly versed in the 'science' of education."

If you're talking about Khan Academy, they're a non-profit not a startup.

Re: Big Cuts at Airy Labs, Ex-Employees Blame Management

#25

Post by bane »

"They say the Hsus refused to commit anything to writing, and would become angry if anyone complained via email (rather than verbally)."

I've seen this before. This is usually so that there isn't any evidence of the communication stored anywhere. A very bad sign of a Machiavellian management style that I've never seen end well.

Employees were warned against socializing or discussing their compensation with other members of the team. At the same time, office life was obsessively documented in photos, a practice that extended to people interviewing for jobs.

And here is where it gets really weird. You can't have evidence about how the company operates, but they can document you.

Re: Big Cuts at Airy Labs, Ex-Employees Blame Management

#26

Post by tansey »

I think it's unfair to jump on the guy as being naive or young. I don't know if people who setup these dysfunctional workplaces ever improve. He probably is just not great at running a business, end of story.

If you're a controlling person when it comes to your personal relationships, you won't likely be a great founder. You need to understand that everyone has their own goals, dreams, and desires in life. Your employees are not just things you put money into and productivity out of, they're people who will produce way more than you expect if you treat them well.

Maybe I'm biased though. My dad ran four small businesses in his life and the main thing that kept both the employees and customers coming back was that he was well-liked and personable with everyone.

Being a recent co-founder of a startup, I am managing a team of 8 contractors and consultants right now. Each one has their benefits and flaws, but I'm happy to work with them and willing to be flexible around schedules, etc. It would never enter my mind to setup such a draconian system and I think anyone who does is probably inherently broken as a founder.

Re: Big Cuts at Airy Labs, Ex-Employees Blame Management

#27

Post by fleitz »

bane wrote: post #25

"They say the Hsus refused to commit anything to writing, and would become angry if anyone complained via email (rather than verbally)." I've seen this before. This is usually so that there isn't any evidence of the communication stored anywhere. A very bad sign of a Machiavellian management style that I've never seen end well. Employees were warned against socializing or discussing their compensation with other memb…

It's not weird at all, it's the hallmark of any police state.

Re: Big Cuts at Airy Labs, Ex-Employees Blame Management

#28

Post by fleitz »

feralchimp wrote: post #8

With 20 people riding in a $1.5M raft, you need to know exactly where you're headed and why. Security-wise, you'd almost rather be in an actual raft.

You shouldn't even care where the raft is heading, you know it's inevitably to the bottom of the ocean, you should instead figure out what the value system is in the business and create more value than anyone else so you can get the money off the raft and onto your powerboat.

Re: Big Cuts at Airy Labs, Ex-Employees Blame Management

#29

Post by [deleted] »

jessepickard wrote: post #13
blake8086 wrote: post #2

I have a deep interest in educational games. When I found out about Airy Labs, I applied and interviewed with them in August 2011. I got the impression the engineers were very smart, and very overworked. When we got to discussing numbers, Hsu was interested in a low five-figure salary. I sent him a few emails asking about things like revenue model. I was concerned that IAP corrupts the incentive structure around educ…

I'm a co-founder of a profitable 11-person educational gaming company called MindSnacks, so I have a pretty solid perspective on what works in this space. The key to making IAP work in an educational gaming company is keeping things really simple. We give away one lesson for free and then offer the remaining 49 for a one-time $5.00 fee. If you get greedy and try to squeeze payments out of your user at every turn, you…

[deleted]
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