Is there glory in startups?

We’re in the middle of a second interweb bubble, where young, green developers are being pie-piped into working insane hours, sleeping under their desks, and living off Ramen noodles. This shitty, unsustainable lifestyle is glorified by much of the VC-funded startup scene. It’s viewed as a badge of honor.

Amy Hoy just posted a great article, Fuck Glory – Startups are One Long Con, where she condemns this type of thinking and those who perpetuate it, and exposes it for what it truly is. Here are a few gems from the highly-quotable piece:

The more kids who buy into the crazy dream, the more racehorses the venture capitalists can bet on, the more little soldiers the VCs can set on the board. The harder those kids work, the more theoretical chances the VC has that of one of his many investments making it big.

Every fucking time you see somebody using glory to hagiographize young men & women who are doing something clearly stupid, you must ask: What is this raft of shit, and why are they trying to get me to paddle it?

… those who sell glory, who sell religion, who sell noble wars, will not be in the trenches with you.

Sobering words. It’s full of great quotes and strong languages, so go read it.

3 Notes/ Hide

  1. tinyclicks said: I expect you to sleep under your desk tonight for this post.
  2. kylefox posted this