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

I don't want a hustler

andrewacove.posterous.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–38 of 38 posts

Re: I don't want a hustler

#31

Post by nedwin »

nupark wrote: post #16
tgriesser wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am only going off the definition which this article is referencing. http://learntoduck.com/micah/hackers-hustlers

Yes, this applies to the original article -- and the minority use of this vernacular in general. People (like myself, and I believe the original poster) take issue with the use of 'hustler' because we see clear parallels between the negative connotations of the term and those individuals that self-identity with it.

I've posted this before but this is where I use my reference for a hustler. http://joeyroth.com/charlatan-martyr-hustler/

It's all semantics at the end of the day but I personally embrace the word hustler and would like to consider myself fairly ethical in life and business. If you're looking for that right person don't discount them because they call themselves a hustler, search for why they are who they say they are.

Note: I'm not in the valley.

Re: I don't want a hustler

#32

Post by nedwin »

fuzzmeister wrote: post #30

My proposal: stop using the word "hustler". While many people in the startup community have gotten used to the "aggressively active or enterprising person" definition, for most people, the first definition that comes to mind is "a person who lives by stealing or other dishonest means; a thief, pimp, etc." http://www.answers.com/topic/hustler-slang-term

We should also stop using the word hacker because most people think it's someone who lives by stealing or breaking into peoples computers; a thief, a criminal etc.

Re: I don't want a hustler

#33

Post by fuzzmeister »

nedwin wrote: post #32
fuzzmeister wrote: post #30

My proposal: stop using the word "hustler". While many people in the startup community have gotten used to the "aggressively active or enterprising person" definition, for most people, the first definition that comes to mind is "a person who lives by stealing or other dishonest means; a thief, pimp, etc." http://www.answers.com/topic/hustler-slang-term

We should also stop using the word hacker because most people think it's someone who lives by stealing or breaking into peoples computers; a thief, a criminal etc.

As far as I'm aware, hacker had a positive meaning before some people started using it negatively, while hustler seems to have mainly been used negatively before some people starting using it positively.

Re: I don't want a hustler

#34

Post by onan_barbarian »

In my experience, hustlers (the 'naughty' kind) are good for making everyone think you're making real progress while your company is actually going sideways. We had a couple hustler-types who spent a lot of time blowing smoke simultaneously up engineering, BD and customer's asses.

It was only after they were gone that we were able to disentangle an elaborate web of false expectations and outright lies and start making actual progress again. Particularly mischievous was the way that these guys often created constant panics for engineering due to the unrealistic promises that they'd made to customers - they would then regard this as 'good management' (look how hard we're making everyone work).

Bonus points for the fact that these guys were working on their own startup "on their own time" (sort of).

Re: I don't want a hustler

#35

Post by michaelochurch »

When I think of "hustler" in this sense, I think of someone who is constantly involved in relationship-building work (although I've never heard the word used in this way, but let's run with it). He may be a scam artist or unethical; he may not be. They're not all bad (but most are). The hustler's social and work lives have fused into one more-than-full-time job, and he chooses his friends based on how useful they are. He usually started out fairly well-connected, and has the huge leg-up of an MBA from one of the big three (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton) business schools, and now has a huge network of contacts. This is only a marginal advantage for entrepreneurs (mid-level investment bankers are useless "connections" for startups) but it lets the hustler feel full of himself because he has other options (i.e. his connections can get him a $250,000 job, so you should feel privileged that he is taking the time to talk to you) than whatever project he's doing at the time.

When it becomes insufferable is when the hustler thinks his social connections deserve to trade at a ridiculously high rate against more evenly allocated (and therefore more common) assets like talent and drive. As he sees it, he knows all the important people, but any idiot can code. So he tends to offer terms like 5% equity for writing all of the code to implement his idea. They get what they deserve when only idiots want to code for them.

Re: I don't want a hustler

#37

Post by dools »

For what it's worth, the term "hustler" is used pretty frequently as a colloquialism for pro-actively selling in a range of industries. I've heard it used in reference to musicians, writers, actors and artists.

In the Ricky Gervais series "Extras" in the episode with Patrick Stewart when Ricky accosts him to look through his script Patrick says "I know I know, you're hustling".

There's also the popularisation of the term in the hip-hop culture (gotta hustle y'all, we gotta hustle) where the term represents achieving despite extreme adversity.

Re: I don't want a hustler

#38

Post by nedwin »

fuzzmeister wrote: post #33
nedwin wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We should also stop using the word hacker because most people think it's someone who lives by stealing or breaking into peoples computers; a thief, a criminal etc.

As far as I'm aware, hacker had a positive meaning before some people started using it negatively, while hustler seems to have mainly been used negatively before some people starting using it positively.

While that may be true the comment refers to current perceptions rather than etymology.
Post reply on HN