Startup Confession: I am an engineer who’s never joining an early-stage startup again

Startup Confession is a series where people share confessions about their startup journey with the Tech in Asia community in an anonymous fashion

If you’d like to share and get advice, drop an anonymous note to us here.

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The following is an excerpt sent to the Tech in Asia community team.

“I am a self-learned engineer previously in the media industry. I decided to switch industries and become a programmer in a startup(I joined a an early-stage team of 3), and that I would have much to learn helping build a product from its infancy. Oh boy was I wrong.

First. They don’t pay you much, which is totally fine, but halting payments and all. Then expecting you to build the world of a product for them. Not cool.

Then they wave and dangle an equity percentage over your head telling you that it is worth more than offering a proper salary. Now, its not that I don’t have doubts about the code i’m writing or the product i’m helping build.

We have to put up with unreasonable demands, and the lack of understanding about the amount of work and time required for certain features that has to be built.

To top it all off, watching the founders burn through funds on needless spendings instead of resources where it counts. How would I be expected to believe in the product?

Needless to say, the last week, I decided to quit. It just is heart wrenching to see and know that there are founders out there who are just in it for the heck of it.

I am never joining an early-stage startup again.”