Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Failing the startup game at Unbabel

esoteric-code.blogspot.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

211–220 of 241 posts

Re: Failing the startup game at Unbabel

#211

Post by andreasgonewild »

segmondy wrote: post #90

It comes with the startup game. What would you have done if the startup ran out of money in a month? You pack up and go home, this also happens, where sometimes they think they have money, and perhaps weren't paying enough taxes or a deal that was going to come through fails. The reality is that if you join a startup, you should take your job day to day. You should consider it an adventure. Do not expect it to be org…

Again, this isn't about the lack of safety nets, this is about behaving like total jerks and getting away with it.

I did try to flag problems, I added more tests, I proposed improvements and went ahead and implemented them. And here we are. Seeing the light implicates seeing anything at all besides pieces of paper with funny faces on.

Re: Failing the startup game at Unbabel

#212

Post by DanBC »

Tyrannosaurs wrote: post #198
mmgm wrote: post #62

In the Portuguese labour law the default "experimental" period lasts a minimum of 90 days (for both employer and employee). During the experimental period any of the parties may void the contract without any compensation (except for the time already worked) unless noted otherwise in your contract ... Also there is no notice period required. As a disclaimer, I note that I am friends with one of the founders of Unbabel…

This highlights one of the risks with going and working in another country - what seems fair, reasonable and legal to you may be very different in another country. As someone who lives in Europe I find American hire / fire at will contracts terrifying (getting rid of someone in the UK can be a torturous process, in other European countries even worse) but obviously in most states (?) in the US they're the norm. Lesso…

> (getting rid of someone in the UK can be a torturous process,

It's really easy to get rid of employees in England. While it's not quite "at will" it's pretty close.

You don't even need to give a reason in writing if the person has been working for you for less than 2 years.

https://www.gov.uk/dismissal

> You have the right to ask for a written statement from your employer giving the reasons why you’ve been dismissed if you’re an employee and have completed 2 years’ service (1 year if you started before 6 April 2012).

Re: Failing the startup game at Unbabel

#213

Post by andreasgonewild »

DanBC wrote: post #45
richardwhiuk wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the contract has a minimum period, then they have to show ' cause' when firing someone. Not being a good fit won't be good enough. If it was, the minimum period in a contract wouldn't be worth anything as that's easy for an employer to say with no backup. This issue is a major difference between typical contracts in the EU and the at will employment status which is typical in the US. It makes it 'easier' for start…

> Depending on the rental contract - if it's anything like the UK, the author may have a cause of action against the landlord as well - normally there's a minimum notice period. "kicked out" could include "followed all the legal procedures and evicted me".

That's not really what happened though. I had a contract for a minimum of four months on the apartment. Which wouldn't have been a problem for me even if I quit after three months. I deposited the last months rent when I signed the contract. When I informed the landlord that I could only stay two months, she kept the deposit and forced me to leave the apartment in the middle of the second month.

Re: Failing the startup game at Unbabel

#214

Post by DanBC »

andreasgonewild wrote: post #206
FollowSteph3 wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But did it have an early termination clause he omitted. Every single contract I've seen has an early termination clause in it.

Kind of hard to tell when the entire f cking contract is in Portuguese and you depend on someone else to explain it to you. I still have no idea if the clause is in there or not. What I can't get through my head is why you'd write a contract at all if both parties are free to do whatever the f ck they want anyway...

You can write fuck - writing f*ck causes italicization.

Did you take the contract to someone outside Unbabel to check?

Re: Failing the startup game at Unbabel

#215

Post by andreasgonewild »

VLM wrote: post #44
ransom1538 wrote: post #26

Ok. I have been hacking in startups for 10 years or so. A few rules to note. 1) Startups almost always fail. Pretty much assume at any point you can be let go for any reason. If you can't afford to blow 3 months of salary and be paid in "promise" - don't do it. 2) Startups are not for everyone. Enjoy good code? Like a peaceful atmosphere? Need comments? Love structure and strategy? Welp - you will fail at a startup.…

"Legal. You are going to sue a former employer? What a great way of ruining your future. Future employers will avoid you like the plague. " And that leads to contracts not being worth the paper they're printed on unless you're independently wealthy, and without any rule of law or justice, the system goes down the tubes.

Exactly, this is more about not wanting to live in a world where corporations can get away with behaving like this. I'm not worried, I know my shit and I'm sure there are others out there like me.

Re: Failing the startup game at Unbabel

#217

Post by DanBC »

andreasgonewild wrote: post #213
DanBC wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Depending on the rental contract - if it's anything like the UK, the author may have a cause of action against the landlord as well - normally there's a minimum notice period. "kicked out" could include "followed all the legal procedures and evicted me".

That's not really what happened though. I had a contract for a minimum of four months on the apartment. Which wouldn't have been a problem for me even if I quit after three months. I deposited the last months rent when I signed the contract. When I informed the landlord that I could only stay two months, she kept the deposit and forced me to leave the apartment in the middle of the second month.

Your landlord treating you illegally is not unbabel's problem.

Did you seek help from Portuguese legal system for your landlord problem?

Re: Failing the startup game at Unbabel

#218

Post by andreasgonewild »

yuribit wrote: post #29
homakov wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or maybe he wants his story to sound more dramatic >So here I am, back where I started with barely enough money to eat. Come on, you're 37 years old Java professional from Sweden (which is not Nigeria or something). Even unemployed people there get more money which I used to make being programmer. > When I informed my landlord that I wouldn't be able to stay as long as planned she kicked me out of the apartment What,…

Completely agree, where are all the money you earned in the last 16 years?

None of your business and has nothing to do with this.

Re: Failing the startup game at Unbabel

#219

Post by andreasgonewild »

user_id3 wrote: post #36
homakov wrote: post #6

37 old Java professional from Sweden spends all of his savings in two months? You have 5 kids or something?

> Java professional my money stopped here

So, I know Java, I don't love it but I know it. I also have extensive experience from about 20 other programming languages. Your point being?

Re: Failing the startup game at Unbabel

#220

Post by andreasgonewild »

DanBC wrote: post #214
andreasgonewild wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kind of hard to tell when the entire f cking contract is in Portuguese and you depend on someone else to explain it to you. I still have no idea if the clause is in there or not. What I can't get through my head is why you'd write a contract at all if both parties are free to do whatever the f ck they want anyway...

You can write fuck - writing f *ck causes italicization. Did you take the contract to someone outside Unbabel to check?

No, the contract was presented and explained to me by the founders, at the time they treated me like royalty so it didn't even cross my mind to question them or waste money on a Portuguese lawyer. And where I come from, having a contract means you need a good reason to break it.
Post reply on HN