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A startup CEO drives for Uber

venturebeat.com

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Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#51

Post by chulk90 »

negamax wrote: post #43

I am surprised by the negativity in this thread. Since when did founding a startup start having a fixed set of rules? Further, if he gets a break in terms of bigger investor who happens to be a passenger. This is what everyone will start doing!

I agree. Starting a company isn't a glamorous lifestyle that mass media portray it to be. During startup, you spend a lot of time figuring out how to cut down food and housing costs, how we're gonna pay for salaries and office expenses 6 months later, etc.

You have to try EVERYTHING you can, and that's what makes / breaks a startup.

P.S. A lot of people on HN or even many people at Startup School seem to be interested in startups for the "lifestyle" that doesn't exist in real life. In the real world, your company is not Pied Piper.

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#52

Post by dbdriscoll »

corobo wrote: post #26
andrea_s wrote: post #6

I'm always torn when I hear about the "CEO" of such a small company (or, in more extreme cases, the CEO of a one man band) - from one side, I see that it gives a clear impression of how the tasks are distributed within the company, but it still sounds a bit weird. What do you think?

People understand that you mean the top dog when you say CEO in an article. If they said "Manager of a startup" or "Guy who runs a startup" it doesn't sound as interesting It's a bit clickbait, a bit common denominator - not necessarily bad things, it makes for easier reading

Yep, see my comment above in reply to another comment. I hate using the title CEO, but I also knew that I needed to use it here in order to get published and then get some attention for the article. Frankly, I hoped people would see "CEO" as ironic.

As I wrote a moment ago, I just call myself "a co-founder" of a startup and, when pressed on title, will use "ceo" rather than the ALL CAPS version.

A friend put it well: "Until you I-P-O, you're just a c-e-o."

Cheers, Dan (author of the article & a reQwip co-founder)

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#53

Post by korzun »

> Like many in my MBA class, I had the choice to accept one of a handful of six-figure opportunities offered by top tech and consulting companies.

Yeah, no.

> So I signed up, and in the first weekend of sharing my car with strangers — roughly three to five hours a night over three nights — I earned $800 net.

That's not a net, car repairs and maintenance add up. This sums up most of his logic.

> I pick when I drive based on personal whims. Sometimes I am driving from north Austin to downtown and I just provide a quick ride to an Uber passenger on my way.

You have a limit of how many rides you can cancel. This does not add up. Nor do all the passengers give you destination prior to acceptance.

How many 'MBA' instances can you fit in an article? This is a basically a PR story on some kid who is burning thought small unverified rounds every other month.

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#54

Post by jlees »

butwhy wrote: post #10

Guess you found some upsides. For most people, I think someone with such education and such a role at a company is making a stupid decision by doing this. There is such thing as an "opportunity cost" that is wasted when you perform unskilled labor in favour of time that could be put towards the company you are responsible for (and the people you are responsible for).

There is also such a thing as diminishing returns: for some people, working on something different after a day's work is better for productivity, happiness, and the bank balance. Especially if that gets channeled back into the main gig.

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#55

Post by wglb »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #48
wglb wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any corporation needs to report a certain standard set of officers in their incorporation papers: President, Secretary are often the minimum. Many think of President as roughly equivalent to CEO.

Corporations, yes. Companies, no. Nobody founds a corporation.

I am afraid you lost me with Nobody founds a corporation. I did this, insofar as I know.

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#56

Post by theundead »

korzun wrote: post #53

> Like many in my MBA class, I had the choice to accept one of a handful of six-figure opportunities offered by top tech and consulting companies. Yeah, no. > So I signed up, and in the first weekend of sharing my car with strangers — roughly three to five hours a night over three nights — I earned $800 net. That's not a net, car repairs and maintenance add up. This sums up most of his logic. > I pick when I drive ba…

You're spot on. I know of the author of the article (Austin is a small scene), and he is basically an MBA type who has been stuck playing startup the last 4 years. He has effectively made 0 progress in that time and it took over 3 years just to launch the MVP. Think about that...3+ years to launch anything working at all (before that they just had a splash page for years littered with hyperbole). In fact they "launched" quite recently and the product is pretty bad. They're burning through money and time like it's nothing. Several classmates that were involved somewhat early on realized what a joke it was and cut all ties to the thing.

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#58

Post by 650REDHAIR »

theundead wrote: post #56
korzun wrote: post #53

> Like many in my MBA class, I had the choice to accept one of a handful of six-figure opportunities offered by top tech and consulting companies. Yeah, no. > So I signed up, and in the first weekend of sharing my car with strangers — roughly three to five hours a night over three nights — I earned $800 net. That's not a net, car repairs and maintenance add up. This sums up most of his logic. > I pick when I drive ba…

You're spot on. I know of the author of the article (Austin is a small scene), and he is basically an MBA type who has been stuck playing startup the last 4 years. He has effectively made 0 progress in that time and it took over 3 years just to launch the MVP. Think about that...3+ years to launch anything working at all (before that they just had a splash page for years littered with hyperbole). In fact they "launch…

(Disclaimer, the author is a personal friend and investor of mine)

Well, that's completely wrong. He's launched, hit revenue quickly, has taken sizeable outside funding, and is one of the hardest working guys I know.

There's only so much work you can do in a day before you start hitting walls. Some people read, some people jog, and some people drive. At least this way his expenses are covered and it let's him clear his head for awhile.

Also, you seem a bit bitter- like you dropped out of your MBA to work on a failed startup and now you're regretting it...

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#59

Post by 650REDHAIR »

butwhy wrote: post #10

Guess you found some upsides. For most people, I think someone with such education and such a role at a company is making a stupid decision by doing this. There is such thing as an "opportunity cost" that is wasted when you perform unskilled labor in favour of time that could be put towards the company you are responsible for (and the people you are responsible for).

Can you operate at 100% on a single idea for 100% of the time? I can't. I usually pick up a book or drive to unwind and then come back to a problem. If I could get paid to do that- why wouldn't I try it?
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