Almost exactly this comment comes up in every thread that talks about start-up culture, or one that discusses internal dynamics in successful high growth start-ups.
There is a kind of "formula" that is thrown around in the startup world as the ingredients of successful startups before they really get huge:
- Small teams
- Very fast growth of user base
- Less than robust technical infrastructure
- Obsessive and arguably irrationally enthusiastic founders
Why all these? Because they are CHEAP to start and stop and feedback is immediate and focused on the team. They are also pretty fragile, hence why you need people who will persevere in the face of insane obstacles. In a startup it you will have too few people for all of the tasks that you need which requires a certain type of personality, someone super flexible, adaptable and dedicated to expanding your capabilities no matter what.
Thiel et al. are not describing work environments of people who want a comfortable life as a first goal. They are describing work environments of people who are rabidly pursuing a massive goal (hold aside for a moment judgements about what those goals should be).
I am unsure why this post almost always shows up on these types of discussions, considering that this forum is arguably for the rabidly focused founders, rather than just people who are technology focused.
There is a kind of "formula" that is thrown around in the startup world as the ingredients of successful startups before they really get huge:
- Small teams
- Very fast growth of user base
- Less than robust technical infrastructure
- Obsessive and arguably irrationally enthusiastic founders
Why all these? Because they are CHEAP to start and stop and feedback is immediate and focused on the team. They are also pretty fragile, hence why you need people who will persevere in the face of insane obstacles. In a startup it you will have too few people for all of the tasks that you need which requires a certain type of personality, someone super flexible, adaptable and dedicated to expanding your capabilities no matter what.
Thiel et al. are not describing work environments of people who want a comfortable life as a first goal. They are describing work environments of people who are rabidly pursuing a massive goal (hold aside for a moment judgements about what those goals should be).
I am unsure why this post almost always shows up on these types of discussions, considering that this forum is arguably for the rabidly focused founders, rather than just people who are technology focused.