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Why I Was Fired From a Tech Startup and What My Boss Had to Say About It

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Re: Why I Was Fired From a Tech Startup and What My Boss Had to Say About It

#141

Post by moocowduckquack »

robomartin wrote: post #130
moocowduckquack wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In reality, per the agreement, he owed ME several thousand dollars How does an unsuccessful salesman owe you several thousand dollars? And you are saying you withheld money at the time of firing. Sales is precarious, but sales without a base is nasty. I also notice in your language terms like "he, effectively, never earned". Basically, it sounds like this guy worked for you, didn't do so successfully and then you wer…

> How does an unsuccessful salesman owe you several thousand dollars? And you are saying you withheld money at the time of firing. There are many approaches to paying a sales person. I've probably tried them all. This particular variant was one where you pay a base salary, say, $30K/year and, on top of that, a advance on unearned commissions. So, every week the sales guy is getting a check with two components, one he…

Ok, sorry, it read a lot worse the first time. The mice are considering it.

Re: Why I Was Fired From a Tech Startup and What My Boss Had to Say About It

#142

Post by FDpod »

askance wrote: post #121
FDpod wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wasn't worth getting into within the post, but there were strong suggestions that the CEO may have listened to a podcast of mine where I talk about having been an escort, and many people think I come off as gay. "What your look may convey to clients" really wasn't my favorite thing to hear. http://www.fdpod.com/podcasts/episode-19-coming-out-vince-ma...

You didn't once mention the fact that you're wildly open about your personal life on the internet: http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2013/01/30/cheap-dates-super-... I don't know about your employer, but I would certainly think twice about keeping an employee who clearly doesn't realize the effect that this brand of open honesty has on people outside of SF kink circles. They didn't can you because you were an escort; th…

To clear things up - I started writing for Broke-Ass Stuart in January of this year. The FDpod site launched in July 2013 (previous podcasts were hosted on my comedy site). I was mistaken in the timing of the escorting podcast - it was released a few weeks AFTER I was fired (in August 2012), because I felt comfortable at that point.

But things were definitely said around the office about my sexuality, questioning it, etc. which I am obviously more open about than most.

Re: Why I Was Fired From a Tech Startup and What My Boss Had to Say About It

#144

Post by nknighthb »

jackmaney wrote: post #124
nknighthb wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never worn a suit to a job interview, and would not tolerate working for a company where I was expected to. As an interviewer, I've encountered only a couple people who did wear suits. Definitely lived down to the stereotype.

For job interviews--and only job interviews--I tend to dress up to something between a button-up silk dress shirt with pressed slacks and no tie to a full suit. I've mostly done the latter in a previous career (academia) where it was expected for interviews.

> academia

Do you understand that you're reinforcing the stereotype?

Re: Why I Was Fired From a Tech Startup and What My Boss Had to Say About It

#145

Post by blisterpeanuts »

VexXtreme wrote: post #132
blisterpeanuts wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry for what happened to you, but in reality what you do off the clock does indeed matter. Companies have an image to maintain, not least startups which are trying to woo more venture capital, and you can bet that the VC's staff will be researching each and every employee. And if it's not VC, it's a potential purchaser or a broker that's going to take you public. It sounds like your CEO was probably a jerk, but in…

> Maybe you should be up front with your next employer about your stand-up stuff and see how they respond. What someone does off the clock with their own time, unless they're a public figure representing their company 24/7 (such as various high profile CEOs) should have no bearing on how they're perceived either by their employer or clients. As long as you are performing your work duties efficiently and doing your jo…

"I for one would sue the hell out of you..."

No, you wouldn't. It's incredibly expensive and without a really blatant reason like "We're firing you because you're black, old, and gay", no lawyer's going to do the work on contingency.

Anyway, the company is never going to say they fired you for running a knitting website, or whatever it is you do. They'd just say they're downsizing, sorry, and while they're grateful for your contributions, market conditions necessitate an occasional reorganization.

Re: Why I Was Fired From a Tech Startup and What My Boss Had to Say About It

#146

Post by 7Figures2Commas »

tomrod wrote: post #126
7Figures2Commas wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Doing the right thing is worth taking a little risk. I won't disagree outright with that, but what is "the right thing" here? The threat of litigation is incredibly real when it comes to employment issues. Even the most proactive employers (those that attempt to follow the law and keep meticulous records) face lawsuits from employees, former employees and job applicants. The potential damages can be significant (pa…

Yes. Ethics are often at odds with legality.

So it's ethical to disobey instructions from your superior and take an action that could negatively affect your employer and the other people it employs? That's not "ethics". That's an unwillingness to make a difficult decision (leave your job if you truly believe that you have been asked to take an unethical action).

Re: Why I Was Fired From a Tech Startup and What My Boss Had to Say About It

#147

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

cjensen wrote: post #79
liquidise wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the fear of being labeled immature/unprofessional: i have found that in many cases i morally owe my employees reasons for their being let go. I have never had to release an engineer on behavioral issues, so i always try to be clear with them about paths to improvement. i'm certain this varies across companies, but in the startups i have worked for i've build very close relationships to many of my coworkers. i like…

It's always great if you can tell the employee what they need to do to improve. Do that while they still have a job. Work with them on it more than once. Just don't do that at firing time.

Exactly. I wonder if some of these places have performance reviews. The first time you find out you're doing a crappy job should never be on the day you're fired!

Re: Why I Was Fired From a Tech Startup and What My Boss Had to Say About It

#148

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

practicalpants wrote: post #116
rfnslyr wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never understood that. Just taking a job because OH MY GOD JOB. I've been in on going salary negotiations for over two months, all while they paid me the highest contrator salary just to have me stay on. Straight up said "Pay me X or I walk, thanks". 5 second meeting. FUCK company/corporate loyalty. I'm here to get paid so I can fund an adventurous life, not to make you richer. I'm here to make myself richer and…

Hats off to you man. I made a demand similar to yours the other week, though done in friendly words while being nervous about it, and my boss got visibly upset with me (guilt tripping almost), and I got the "too much red tape to just raise your salary like that. I'll talk to HR, maybe a percentage of what you want..." I know the team is pretty dependent on me right now so maybe my next move is to give the ultimatum (…

You are replaceable.

Let me repeat that: you are replaceable.

It's not up to you to decide how the team fares after you're gone: that's your boss' problem. If he doesn't want to pay you what you need, then you are perfectly within your rights to leave immediately or with two weeks notice. He knows what the consequences of you leaving are and it's his decision whether or not refusing to pay your salary demands is worth it.

Re: Why I Was Fired From a Tech Startup and What My Boss Had to Say About It

#149

Post by UK-AL »

Pinatubo wrote: post #120
vinceguidry wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd have marched into the CEO's office and demanded an explanation. Looked him straight in the eye and make him justify his decision.

Don't forget that your potential new employer will probably be contacting your old employer for a reference ...

At a small company, you could probably explain the situation.
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