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Dog-walking startup Wag raised $300M, then things got messy

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Re: Dog-walking startup Wag raised $300M, then things got messy

#251

Post by cesarb »

wavefunction wrote: post #211
TheKarateKid wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PHP an older and more mature language. It also is synchronous so it runs similar to C/Java/Python. Programming full stack with JavaScript requires a different programming mindset with its asynchronous nature.

JavaScript predates PHP by five years. 'Maturity' is a subjective quality in my opinion and I also think PHP is a hot mess. JavaScript is synchronous unless you specifically utilize its asynchronous parts. Asynchronous execution is possible with PHP

> JavaScript predates PHP by five years.

Wikipedia tells me they're both from 1995.

Re: Dog-walking startup Wag raised $300M, then things got messy

#252

Post by senorjazz »

wavefunction wrote: post #211
TheKarateKid wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PHP an older and more mature language. It also is synchronous so it runs similar to C/Java/Python. Programming full stack with JavaScript requires a different programming mindset with its asynchronous nature.

JavaScript predates PHP by five years. 'Maturity' is a subjective quality in my opinion and I also think PHP is a hot mess. JavaScript is synchronous unless you specifically utilize its asynchronous parts. Asynchronous execution is possible with PHP

> and I also think PHP is a hot mess

That is a mighty strong statement when trying to big javascript lol

Re: Dog-walking startup Wag raised $300M, then things got messy

#253

Post by urbanjunkie »

pdub123 wrote: post #236
throw313123 wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Saudis have also done that with KAUST; from what I heard they have turned off all their weird laws in this region of SA (like a SEZ), and were hiring aggressively a few years ago (from the US). I occasionally stumble on some interesting projects from this University, but I for one would be very weary of moving to a desert region where women were disallowed from driving until a few years back, and need to be drape…

"in contrast to rich city states like Singapore." You mention city states in the plural sense. Tell me-- What other city states would you be referring to? I doubt you have others in mind-- in which case, you shouldn't be speaking in plural in an attempt to exaggerate your argument.

May I respectfully suggest that you go and fuck yourself?

Re: Dog-walking startup Wag raised $300M, then things got messy

#254

Post by dillonmckay »

RandallBrown wrote: post #105
wolco wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you ask that and expect an answer? Was the person who orginally wrote the application in the room? Did you think to ask why they were using windows instead of macs? Or why leather seats? What were you hoping to get out of your question? Did you want to show the interviewer how hype you were? Were you hoping that you could educate them why using a javascript would be better? This was at an interview correct…

I'm not the person that asked Wag this question, but I do think it was a valid one. I'll try and explain why. Even if they weren't the person that made the choice, them knowing the reasoning behind the choice tells you a lot about the team. I usually expect new members of teams to ask questions about why the application was written the way it was. This shows a general curiosity among team members and it shows that th…

The whole democratic voting for implementation and architecture decisions drives me crazy.

Am I being irrational?

I just want somebody to make a decision, and if it is wrong, we learn, and try something else.

Re: Dog-walking startup Wag raised $300M, then things got messy

#255

Post by mruts »

philwelch wrote: post #237
pdub123 wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"in contrast to rich city states like Singapore." You mention city states in the plural sense. Tell me-- What other city states would you be referring to? I doubt you have others in mind-- in which case, you shouldn't be speaking in plural in an attempt to exaggerate your argument.

Hong Kong and Monaco?

Also Vatican City.

Re: Dog-walking startup Wag raised $300M, then things got messy

#256

Post by dillonmckay »

sedachv wrote: post #164
fantasticFerret wrote: post #18

I applied to this company right at the beginning of there expansion. The person that interviewed me said he had been sleeping on couches for the last year or so, (around 2017) and working insane hours. They gave me a php coding test to implement some kind of pub/sub. I finished it. Had no real way of submitting it other than emailing it to the interviewer as a zip. The moment the interviewer told me they worked with…

> Had no real way of submitting it other than emailing it to the interviewer as a zip. Being good at email (ex: not relying on GMail, knowing basic things about line length, top-posting, signature, having your own domain(s), using an actual email client instead of webmail crap, Sieve filters and mailing list management, actually knowing how mailing-list based development works and being able to use (git) patch/diff,…

They are not applying for a job at sendgrid, or as an email implementation strategist.

Re: Dog-walking startup Wag raised $300M, then things got messy

#258

Post by eitland »

tekkk wrote: post #228
hdfbdtbcdg wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> think PHP is a hot mess. Have you used PHP in the last 5 years?

I'm not trying to pick a side here, and I'm sure modern PHP is fantastic with Laravel and all that. But it seems to me that the PHP-advocates are failing to understand that impressions matter a lot to developers. I wouldn't touch PHP with a ten-foot pole if I can. Not because modern PHP is terrible but that the baggage of terrible PHP is still strong in my memory, and I'm not willing the re-evaluate PHP as my choice…

> But it seems to me that the PHP-advocates are failing to understand that impressions matter a lot to developers.

Not a PHP advocate.

But I do recommend people think carefully before they commit to either Javascript or PHP.

Both are about equally good/bad in my opinion (I have written significant Javascript as far back as in 2005 and PHP later.)

Both are useful and both have very very effective footguns built in (unlike Java, my personal favorite, who's footguns are less effectivebut who's more famous for its built in ball and chain).

A significant advantage of PHP is it looks ugly and people already know they should be careful around it so they aren't so easily tempted to start using it for everything under the sun like they are with Javascript ;-)

Re: Dog-walking startup Wag raised $300M, then things got messy

#259

Post by ekianjo »

adrianN wrote: post #200
ekianjo wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is always a non zero probability of mankind extinction but within hundreds of years it should be fairly, fairly low

Human civilization can die much easier than mankind. Civilizations have collapsed multiple times before. Back then the effects were localized because civilizations were localized. In today's globalized world the effects could be much more serious.

> Civilizations have collapsed multiple times before

Yeah but it's not like the variables at work before are the same at work today. With the current set of variables, even LESS likely than ever than what you call the "current civilization" would collapse completely, because it's massively decentralized in terms of knowledge.

Re: Dog-walking startup Wag raised $300M, then things got messy

#260

Post by Kiro »

CalChris wrote: post #150
pdq wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem when you have so much money to invest is that your customers need to actually invest it. It's much harder to invest $1-$5M at a time when you can just go back to the WeWork pool and drop $2B. It's like painting a wall mural using fine tipped brushes, rather than wide paint rollers or a paint gun. You get the job done so much faster, but your quality will suffer tremendously.

$100B is not that much money. (Note to self: you just said $100B isn't that much money. Get head examined.) Bezos can aggressively handle it. Gates aggressively can handle it. Buffett can aggressively it. What is so special about the Vision Fund that it wants to put its money in the likes of Uber and WeWork? I would think knowledgable VCs would do their due diligence and avoid these companies. Investing into Uber at…

Or maybe they did their due diligence and everyone else is wrong. We're talking like the companies have already collapsed while it could be the best investment ever.
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