Ask HN: Work on a VC funded project for which I do not feel strongly motivated?
2 comments
If I was against VC funded businesses in principle and did not strongly believe in the core idea, I’d pass on the opportunity.
That being said, I’d consider it if the comp offer was extremely compelling
That being said, I’d consider it if the comp offer was extremely compelling
Pass. Saying yes to something you are not interested in so that you can later say “See? VC-funded projects are crap!” does not seem smart to me.
Being from a third-world country where you hear stories of VC funded CEOs making lots of money and changing lives (theirs as well as the customers') makes me want to accept the offer.
However, there are a thoughts that I have:
Say No:
1. I do not feel very amazingly motivated by the idea. I worked on the project a while ago as a prototype but I just found it ok. I do not feel motivated that I would be doing the world any good if I do create the project. Risking my current lifestyle for something that I am not motivated for does not look like a good idea.
2. I currently work full time as a software engineer that a place where I love working. Although I am in my 20s, I do not consider myself to be a risk-taking person and prefer slow and risk-averse life. Same as 1: Risking my current lifestyle for something that I am not motivated for does not look like a good idea.
3. I do not really like VC-funded software products personally. Trying to capture the market initially and then the enshittification to somehow artificially pump valuation and increase the revenue is not something that I agree with. I have always believed in bootstrapping products that are simple to build. I also already have a few side-businesses that earn slow and steady income. Doing something that I do not believe in does not look like a good idea again.
Say yes:
1. I am young and I have changed my beliefs over the years. How do I know that I will not change my belief about VC in some years down the line. If I work on this project now, I will have an 'in' in the network that can help me later.
2. Since my student life, I have believed that whatever I am today is because of the fact that I said "yes" to everything that came my way (which didn't use to earlier). Although I do understand that I had way more free time as a student compared to now.
I wanted to hear other people's thoughts on this too