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Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

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Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#81

Post by fpgeek »

I'm a bit surprised no one has suggested what I consider the most likely possibility: They had no idea what getting you a visa actually entailed and bailed once you started and they discovered how hard it would be. I'm leaning that way because most people don't understand how hard visas actually are, the way they were vague about their reasons and the timing. Of course, if that's what actually happened, not telling you the truth would immediately take them out of "good guy" bucket.

Other than that, I agree with everyone who is saying to get back in touch with the offers you turned down. Even if they've all hired someone else already, talking to people who wanted to hire you in the recent past is a great way to kick off a job search.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#83

Post by sheetjs »

jowiar wrote: post #26

> I like the founders - they are good guys. No. They're not. You don't get to screw around with other people's lives and continue to possess the title of "good guy". If they were good guys, you would be receiving tens of thousands of dollars for your difficulties, and such would have enough of a runway on that such that you wouldn't need to ask us for advice. Please do us all a favor and let us know who they are beyo…

> Please do us all a favor and let us know who they are beyond "a YC startup" so that none of us find ourselves in your shoes.

Two other reasons for considering revealing the name:

1) a casual bystander might see this and conclude that all YC companies behave in this way, which hurts the other companies.

2) PG and other partners at YC read HN, and there's a good chance that action can be taken if they know who is involved.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#85

Post by potatolicious »

hacknat wrote: post #63
JasonFruit wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say you did the right thing in not saying what the startup was — it isn't wise to look like a bridge-burner when you're looking for work.

Why is the burden always on the individual to not "burn the bridge"? I'd say that this startup has burnt this bridge pretty well. It would have been perfectly reasonable for him to tell us who they were and for us to avoid them like the plague.

It's on both sides not to "burn the bridge". The problem here is those of us observing from the sidelines have very little access to the facts, so we really have no idea what the truth of the matter is.

All we'll see is bickering and unverifiable (by us) claims, and without the ability to discover who is in the right, it just looks bad to observers.

It's like having a shouting match in the middle of the parking lot. One of you might be entirely in the right and completely justified, but to the rest of us it just looks like a situation to avoid.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#86

Post by dreamweapon »

throw4323 wrote: post #19

> I joined as employee #1 of a YC startup Which one is it?

Just the fact that it was YC startup -- presumably YC S14 -- and that they've gone through a recent "change in leadership", specifically for the COO position -- should make it pretty easy to identify them, with a little bit of research.

We can be sure that anyone in the YC board reading this thread has a pretty good idea who they are by now, in any case.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#87

Post by electic »

Zarkonnen wrote: post #57
JasonFruit wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say you did the right thing in not saying what the startup was — it isn't wise to look like a bridge-burner when you're looking for work.

This is a very depressing attitude. A functioning market relies on information flow, and if this information flow is killed because people are scared, the market stops functioning.

Companies are complex, they are going to have issues. They are going to make bad hires, have drama, bad product launches, and disfunction. Especially startups. But, when you leave or if you disagree with what happened at the company and you air that laundry. It looks bad on you.

Trust me, I am going to google you before I hire you and if I see you being a mess online that means you could be a huge mess in my company. As a startup, when every hiring decision matters, I am going to pass on you.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#88

Post by guybrushT »

michaelochurch wrote: post #72

I like the founders - they are good guys. No, they're not. "Good guys" don't fire someone without a severance after 2 weeks for no reason, especially not after you've put your reputation on the line as you have. I let all job offers go (I had a few good ones) Try to get those offers back. Explain what happened. If there's another solid option you can take, then you don't need to worry. Try to get a month or two of se…

>Try to get those offers back. Explain what happened. I tried. My next choice office is gone (the company found someone else). I was a bit bummed, which is partly what lead me to post here on HN, and seek advice.

Thanks for the advice. Its good to know about my rights and options available.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#89

Post by facepalm »

hacknat wrote: post #63
JasonFruit wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say you did the right thing in not saying what the startup was — it isn't wise to look like a bridge-burner when you're looking for work.

Why is the burden always on the individual to not "burn the bridge"? I'd say that this startup has burnt this bridge pretty well. It would have been perfectly reasonable for him to tell us who they were and for us to avoid them like the plague.

Think about the next company who considers hiring this guy. Perhaps they'll think "hm, what if he doesn't like being with us - will he derail us in public, too? Perhaps we can find a less risky candidate".
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