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I love how the article ranked right above this one is titled "Downsides to working at a tech giant".
Written by a VC trying to get engineers to join the startups he's invested in.
The work might be similar but you're paid 50-75% of your peers. That was my experience in startup land, at least. Few good challenges or career growth and half of what I felt like I was worth. Completely personal anecdote, but I felt I was sold some half truth, where I was promised career growth, interesting problems and flexibility, but got nothing that I couldn't have found at many Big N companies.
> Equity agreements should not be intentionally confusing or designed to screw over employees. Totally agree with this. Unfortunately I think there might be about 5 startups left if this idea were widely implemented.
You should feel lucky if confusing is the problem. I think the bigger problem usually is -- you often cant see the cap table. If you cant see the cap table and the preferred overhang, there is no way to realistically understand where you stand in the scheme of things. Confusing can be overcome with some search, but "opaque" cannot be.
I love how the article ranked right above this one is titled "Downsides to working at a tech giant".
LOL, I noticed as well. As I was reading "Downsides to working at a tech giant" it occurred to me that the alternative to working for a tech giant is not necessarily a start-up: I would probably work for myself — freelance. So, in fact the two articles can both be right. ;-)
I like being freelance but getting the motivation in those first couple of weeks was pretty hard. I also found it tougher to sell my services because I never really had to do it before. Probably some other stuff I can't think of off the top of my head? I don't think any type of work is perfect although I'd go for freelance any day of the week.
Yes you will probably make more at an established company, but your rate of growth can be much higher at a startup. I worked at a large tech company for 3 years before joining a startup, and learned more in the first month at the startup than the full 3 years at the large tech company. I was able to design and implement a service in a matter of days, whereas at the large tech company those 3 days would easily spent c…
I think the biggest difference is money. A well funded startup might be a boon but a struggling one will be a bane.
Working for a startup makes sense if you think it has good odds of making it, and you are in for a share of it.
I’m sure the points exposed apply there but there are many other places in the USA and the rest of the world where this doesn’t apply and you can find good talent without needing to offer an exorbitant paycheck.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Written by a VC trying to get engineers to join the startups he's invested in.
For a VC, scraping off net innovation minus startup-wages is a win. It's a lose for the employees, of course.
I later worked for Y Combinator as a partner helping founders make products and services. The best ones made something that touches millions of people now.
While there is a lot of zero sum thinking in startupland and finance/capitalism in general, you have to remember that this is probably the most GROWTH mindset industry in the world. Where else can you, with just your hands and a laptop on the Internet, create something a billion people use?
I'm not saying that is the norm. But when it works, it's still remarkable.
And it can start with you, and everyone reading this.
I love how the article ranked right above this one is titled "Downsides to working at a tech giant".