A startup CEO drives for Uber

How does this say anything about a bubble? if this were 1999, he wouldn't need to drive Uber cause his startup would be able to raise a couple million

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#5

Post by barrkel » Sun, Oct 26, 2014, 9:36 AM UTC

I don't think it's such a bad choice of an extra job because of all the different people you'll get to meet.

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#6

Post by andrea_s » Sun, Oct 26, 2014, 9:44 AM UTC

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?

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#7

Post by CHY872 » Sun, Oct 26, 2014, 9:53 AM UTC

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?

In the UK, I'm the director of a company. I'm the director because there (according to my accountants) needs to be someone with the title of 'Director'. I don't do much directing, but apparently I'm in charge of that. I don't think it needs to imply anything, and I wouldn't be surprised if he quipped it at one point and the journalist went with it. Certainly, whenever I tell people I usually say it really loudly and slowly like as though I'm stupid.

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#8

Post by CHY872 » Sun, Oct 26, 2014, 9:55 AM UTC

Over the summer I got an UberX from Sunnyvale where the guy who showed up was in a VW Toureg, a fairly snazzy car with a glass roof etc etc. Apparently he was a fairly successful electrical engineer with someone or other who was wondering with his buddy whether Uber or Lyft were better, so to settle the bet one drove for Uber in his free time and one for Lyft. Seemed like a pretty cool bet from a pretty cool guy.

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#9

Post by peterjancelis » Sun, Oct 26, 2014, 9:55 AM UTC

> "the myriad expenses that we startup founders incur (from coffee shop tabs to gas costs to cross-country flights for meetings with investors)"

I fundamentally disagree that these are non-avoidable expenses.

Re: A startup CEO drives for Uber

#10

Post by butwhy » Sun, Oct 26, 2014, 10:29 AM UTC

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).