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VCs are liars. And so am I.

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Re: VCs are liars. And so am I.

#41

Post by cookiecaper »

Most people should not be told just to give up completely. I'm not sure why the OP wants to focus on "you just don't have what it takes to run a company" instead of "your presentation skills were lacking, rehearse more", or something like that. For many entrepreneurs, the offense is not in "x needs improvement", but "We believe you are too stupid to improve on x". Even if you believe that, why not just say "x needs improvement" and then wait to see if they really are too stupid to improve on x or not? Why does everything the VC thinks, including have to be shared?

There is nothing productive about "you're incapable, just give up" or "you're incapable, go deal with someone who gives people less money first and see if that gives you some capability". These are all deflections of the real problem. Why not try "We were concerned that you appeared nervous when asked how your site would handle potential copyright issues" instead of "you just can't do it"?

Re: VCs are liars. And so am I.

#42

Post by 3pt14159 »

jbooth wrote: post #22
joering2 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But yet you couldn't even check basic facts like this guy has karma above 3,800 for over 4 years, +500 linkedin connections, tons of software engineering experience, and 19 job recommendations [1]. Sure; he writes and thinks like a kid. Let me ignore him! [1] http://phillip.onlinked.in/

Quote: " I'd talk to the OP again, after I make it bigtime and roll up in the Maserati, with a 6' tall, red-headed supermodel with a Scottish accent on my arm... and I'd say "fuck you, dude" and then buy a round of beers and sit back and laugh about the whole thing." He might be a professional success but based on this sample size, yeah, writes and thinks like a cocky 13yo until proven otherwise. No offense intended…

You have no idea how common this method of thinking is, even by successful startup founders. Granted, most are more concerned about building a product people love, but some people thrive on proving people wrong, and that drives them to success.

Re: VCs are liars. And so am I.

#43

Post by heretohelp »

3pt14159 wrote: post #42
jbooth wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quote: " I'd talk to the OP again, after I make it bigtime and roll up in the Maserati, with a 6' tall, red-headed supermodel with a Scottish accent on my arm... and I'd say "fuck you, dude" and then buy a round of beers and sit back and laugh about the whole thing." He might be a professional success but based on this sample size, yeah, writes and thinks like a cocky 13yo until proven otherwise. No offense intended…

You have no idea how common this method of thinking is, even by successful startup founders. Granted, most are more concerned about building a product people love, but some people thrive on proving people wrong, and that drives them to success.

I beat a lot of odds to get to where I am now.

Doesn't mean I act like a cock about it.

Re: VCs are liars. And so am I.

#44

Post by mindcrime »

EREFUNDO wrote: post #40
mindcrime wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, no, no, no... at least in my case, I certainly didn't mean to imply that I'd take any bridges as having been burned. When I say "fuck ya'll" I mean that in the best possible way... I want to have that chip on my shoulder, I'd take it as them having done me a favor if somebody tells me that they think I can't hack it. I feed off that shit. Best to give a vague, non-committal reason so there's always a chance they…

Damn I feed off that shit too! What I noticed about myself is that I would try so much harder when people tell me I can't do it, I am hell bent on proving them wrong. The problem is that much of my life people have been nice to me......I need more assholes in my life....LOL

On a (semi)-related note:

http://www.quora.com/How-can-I-go-about-acquiring-a-worthy-o...

Need a nemesis or arch-rival? Here ya go... Quora on how to find one. :-)

Re: VCs are liars. And so am I.

#46

Post by mdda »

joering2 wrote: post #14
heretohelp wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You write and think like a cocky 13 year old.

But yet you couldn't even check basic facts like this guy has karma above 3,800 for over 4 years, +500 linkedin connections, tons of software engineering experience, and 19 job recommendations [1]. Sure; he writes and thinks like a kid. Let me ignore him! [1] http://phillip.onlinked.in/

But isn't the poster explicitly demanding raw feedback? And isn't the article just pointing out that people get defensive when faced with raw feedback?

Your comment (although you're not the poster in question) kind of demonstrates the problem facing the VC author of the article.

Re: VCs are liars. And so am I.

#47

Post by mdda »

kposehn wrote: post #3

Interesting. To the author: I'd definitely want the blunt, unvarnished and harsh truth. No joke! The only way to get better is to get the truthful opinion of people that matter.

The problem with the standard "the truthful opinion of people that matter" is that if you don't like what you hear, you might just reclassify the speaker into the "people that don't matter" group. Even the statement of your enthusiasm for the unvarnished truth is a veiled threat...

For this comment, all down-votes will be considered up-votes :-)

Re: VCs are liars. And so am I.

#48

Post by noduerme »

mindcrime wrote: post #7
sgrove wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And this is a perfect reason why it'll never happen. What does the other side gain from telling you the truth and burning bridges like this? Best to give a vague, non-committal reason so there's always a chance they can talk with you again in the future. Investors (to take one example) are fallible and scared . They're driven by fear, and by greed - fear that they might miss out on the next facebook (it'll go on thei…

Oh, no, no, no... at least in my case, I certainly didn't mean to imply that I'd take any bridges as having been burned. When I say "fuck ya'll" I mean that in the best possible way... I want to have that chip on my shoulder, I'd take it as them having done me a favor if somebody tells me that they think I can't hack it. I feed off that shit. Best to give a vague, non-committal reason so there's always a chance they…

You're like me...and a lot of guys here. We fucking hate it when idiots in stupid yellow visors pretend they can judge our character. When they take time and appreciate the things we create, and admit they don't have the wherewithal to judge us from where they're sitting -- whether or not they send investment our way -- that's at least acknowledging that our 10,000 hours registered somewhere and they don't think they're smarter or better than us just because they control the purse-strings of some VCist.

For a lot of us, and I can't speak for you, recognition of our effort is much more important than money. What totally aggravates me about this guy is that he thinks he's qualified to attack people who have done much more than he ever has, based solely on what he perceives as their ability to drive a business. And he has this luxury because he sucked someone's dick or was born to a rich old doctor somewhere, or both. And people who've worked hard to make things are supposed to listen to this bullshit. That's what pisses me off.

Re: VCs are liars. And so am I.

#49

Post by jbreinlinger »

seigenblues wrote: post #38
TheSOB88 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, because every startup is Worth It (TM l'Oreal). :P Of course, you're also right - I don't think this guy is a very effective VC at this point. Some of his points seemed completely disconnected. But a person hand-waving or getting nervous on an important topic is a great flag to look for, don't you think?

No, it isn't. I was writing a long post about how we think we're really good at detecting "important signals" like if someone's lying, but that we're actually terrible at it. But the new yorker article that was frontpaging yesterday should pretty much explain it, even though Jonah Lehrer is a bit smug for my tastes ;) TL;DR- the OP sounds like a very shallow-thinking VC who's blissfully unaware of his own biases. It…

Thanks for the feedback ;)
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