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Don't work with assholes

danielrsim.com

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Re: Don't work with assholes

#61

Post by davidwritesbugs »

epups wrote: post #54
davidwritesbugs wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an ex-lawyer I'd say this was 100% a good decision. As a profession we make our living off people who say "Dammit I won't pay, it's the principle, it's wrong & immoral." I, and I suspect many other lawyers, would always reply that principles cost a fortune in money time and grey hairs. I had plenty of clients and didn't need to litigate for billable hours.

It's great for lawyers if everyone thinks like that.

I can say it safe in the knowledge that most people will not believe it. I'm an ex-lawyer and have no skin in the game any more.

Re: Don't work with assholes

#62

Post by pelasaco »

suprjami wrote: post #58
pelasaco wrote: post #33

Any way to proof that the author actually sold his company by a better price than initially said? Otherwise it's just a bad sci-fi. What I learned from this story? You're always the bad guy in someone's story. Specially if this someone has a blog, time to blog and get linked to HN.

The asshole was not named so the negative effect on the person is zero. The author clearly states the moral to not work with people where the alarm bells are ringing.

"Don't work with aholes" is assuming the premise that the author himself isn't not the ahole in the story. If his company was so good, why he wanted to sell it in first place?

Re: Don't work with assholes

#63

Post by SnoJohn »

Robert Ringer wrote the classic on this type of behavior: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Ringer

It's called Winning Through Intimidation, and it is a very funny story of how he learned to not get burned in real estate transactions by being prepared for the inevitable tricks people would try to play on him. Short and lots of sage advice.

Re: Don't work with assholes

#64

Post by lelanthran »

butler14 wrote: post #28
bouke wrote: post #10

> With a young family and a new life beginning, I did not want to ruin the limited time I have on this earth with my loved ones being a dad whose head is somewhere else, rather than enjoying these moments together. This a*hole wasn't worth it. I paid him off to leave us alone. While understandable from his POV, I'm disappointed to see the guy getting paid for services not rendered, and so reinforcing his tactics.

I agree. I'd love to see more details on what the guy felt he was entitled to. I suspect there was a contract signed early on in their dealings that the author of this blog post is not being forthcoming with.

> I suspect there was a contract signed early on in their dealings that the author of this blog post is not being forthcoming with.

I also think there's more to this.

In the event of no contract, winning this is basically one court visit, plus a cost order against the broker.

In the event of a contract that specifies no payment until the deal is closed with the broker's buyer, that's also going to be one court visit with a cost order against the broker.

The only reason to pay him is if the contract said "in the event of a sale" with no further qualifiers. I'm pretty certain it said something along those lines.

Re: Don't work with assholes

#65

Post by lelanthran »

b0o wrote: post #14
bouke wrote: post #10

> With a young family and a new life beginning, I did not want to ruin the limited time I have on this earth with my loved ones being a dad whose head is somewhere else, rather than enjoying these moments together. This a*hole wasn't worth it. I paid him off to leave us alone. While understandable from his POV, I'm disappointed to see the guy getting paid for services not rendered, and so reinforcing his tactics.

True, but from my point of view OP won because he was able to see through the aholes true plans causing the ahole to only get the crumbs of a much larger piece of the pie at the end. To us and others it may seem to be a large sum, but to him it was definitely only a pittance of what he intended to take.

> True, but from my point of view OP won because he was able to see through the aholes true plans causing the ahole to only get the crumbs of a much larger piece of the pie at the end.

I didn't get that from the article - I read it as the broker got his full commission.

In fact, it reads as if the broker got even more than he expected, because the final sale price was 25% more.

Re: Don't work with assholes

#66

Post by lelanthran »

mnky9800n wrote: post #2

this is sort of besides the point of the article, but why do people make businesses to sell them? as a scientist, i am not terribly interested in giving away the ideas that i have worked on for, typically, years. i become quite invested in them and continue to pursue them and evolve them until the funding runs out or new interests pop up that are worth replacing the old ones (typically this is an evolution as well).…

> as a scientist, i am not terribly interested in giving away the ideas that i have worked on for, typically, years. i become quite invested in them

And, at the point that something new grabs your interest, wouldn't you rather let go of that thing you spent years on?

This is why people make businesses to sell - they are looking forward to the next new thing.

Re: Don't work with assholes

#68

Post by munch117 »

catchnear4321 wrote: post #57
munch117 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As an ex-lawyer I'd say this was 100% a good decision For him personally. He complained that the double-asterisk hole acted in self-interest. Then he did the same.

one acted in self interest by trying to take advantage of the other. one acted in self interest by effectively paying the other to go away. your comment is acting in self-interest. so is mine. but you don’t really think these all the same. so what point are you actually trying to prove?

Some people refuse to pay blackmailers, not out of self interest, but because it's the right thing to do.

Re: Don't work with assholes

#69

Post by catchnear4321 »

munch117 wrote: post #68
catchnear4321 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

one acted in self interest by trying to take advantage of the other. one acted in self interest by effectively paying the other to go away. your comment is acting in self-interest. so is mine. but you don’t really think these all the same. so what point are you actually trying to prove?

Some people refuse to pay blackmailers, not out of self interest, but because it's the right thing to do.

one situation had two individuals interacting ostensibly for the betterment of both.

a bit different from kidnapping.

or are you saying you always do the right thing? that would be rather incredible.

Re: Don't work with assholes

#70

Post by xboxnolifes »

mnky9800n wrote: post #2

this is sort of besides the point of the article, but why do people make businesses to sell them? as a scientist, i am not terribly interested in giving away the ideas that i have worked on for, typically, years. i become quite invested in them and continue to pursue them and evolve them until the funding runs out or new interests pop up that are worth replacing the old ones (typically this is an evolution as well).…

Some people enjoy building a business, not running one.
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