Why did you include emails threatening to blackmail Simple AI to get more money ("wondering what a fair exit package looks like ... and what I should post on Linkedin to update my network"), then indicating that after you received $20K in payment, you "wouldn't bother" them? All of this following a him-or-me demand email.
And then making this post? It's a pattern of self-destructive behavior.
The best possible course of action at this point is deleting the blog post. Note that the separation agreement you signed prohibits you from sharing any Separation Information—including consideration (in this case the $20K figure you reference is part of the consideration). Your blog post is public evidence and even this comment I'm making right now could end up in discovery if your former employer wanted. If I were you, I would not antagonize them further.
OP, feel bad for obviously unpleasant situation, but I don't think the way this is written makes you come across in a good light at all. Maybe just me?
thanks for taking the time to research my background everyone and sharing your impressions! love that free speech from all the esteemed writers in these comments
Median age of a YC founder is 24-25. It’s kids hiring kids for startup pressure cookers where most will fail. Professionalism is nice, I highly recommend it when you’re equipped to deliver it (both emotionally and through life experience) but as a professional, I wouldn’t expect it in these contexts. More like a series of tech frat houses grinding to liquidity, acquisition, or failure (from least to most likely).
If you’re going to fail hard and learn it from it, you could do worse than these experiences. If you’re at a startup, you’re either there for the economic opportunity of being on a rocket ship (equity lottery ticket), learning how to be a founder (because you might want to found your own startup), or learning how to do what your role is because you don’t have enough experience to be hired elsewhere (imho). Getting fired is fine, as long as you grow from the experience and weren’t actively or intentionally malicious (don’t do that). Pick yourself up, do better next role and company cast. It’s just a job.
I can appreciate the experience you had. With time and experience comes wisdom. Most of us are figuring all of this out along the way. Try to approach these situations with grace in the future, even when you aren’t managed as you’d expect to be. Assume positive intent until you have strong evidence you no longer shouldn’t, but also have a strong safety net and plans so you’re never tied to a job economically. This makes getting fired or having to quit a minor annoyance versus an event making you feel like you need to scorch the Earth. Wishing you a positive trajectory and that you land somewhere more compatible.
If you're having a manic episode or other type of mental breakdown, I hope you get help. If this is just how you typically act, and no one has told you yet, your way of communicating is bizarre and deeply off-putting. You will not be able to keep a job.
I didn't want to be rude but to be more specific: It comes across as "god this guy is insufferable, I don't blame them" especially the tone with which he asked to be dismissed/leave?
so glad the tone was conveyed through the thoughtful writing i artfully crafted. as oscar wilde says "when the critics disagree the artist is in accord with himeself"
i am grateful. they paid me. commensurate to all of our aligned expectations. as elon recently said in the Economist interview: "i don't think i've said many inaccurate things i can predict my future quite well."
I feel for you, getting fired is pretty terrible, and and everyone assumes you did something bad to earn it.
But you forgot to say a few things in your post:
Hey everyone, I made an expensive move and changed my life for a job, and it didn't work out. In fact, I got fired. If anyone is looking for someone with experience in X Y and Z, I'm your guy.
Reading the title, I thought the company did something horrible to you, but I must have missed it from the text.
(The biggest crime I see in this text though is the inconsistent capitalization in sf)
as the post says, i financially cannot afford to leave (personal philosophy is to have net worth go up at all times) thanks for the curiosity - i believe curiosity leads all SF dwellers to great success and wealth over time. never stop asking questions. in public.
I worked at a startup that offered to triple my equity if I stayed a full four years, a special offer to me for seven months of excellent performance. Four months later, growth below projections, they laid me off 19 days before my 1 year cliff. 3/9ths of the engineering team, gone.
The lesson I’ve learned is to never, ever, put long hours into a startup you don’t own. Ever.
When you say own you mean fractionally, or founder level share only?
The thing is even if you 'have' the equity share as an employee, you might never get liquidity. And (super obviously) most startups fail.
So even if you have a decent chunk of 'ownership', you really, _really_ need to believe in it to be working those hours. I'm talking the kind of belief built on your specialist and insider knowledge about why it's very likely to crush everything else. And even then you can get screwed!
what are these comments? induced by the writer? predicted or not? what is the average view count of his productive function? how would tyler cowen rate it.
I'm so confused by what I just read. What was the point of that? Why is this on hn? It's incoherent and almost manic; I'm a bit worried the author might be experiencing some kind of mental health crisis.
I commented because I'm not sure if you have considered that you might not be well. I hope you look after yourself. What you are doing right now, including posting all these responses to comments here, does not seem healthy.
thank you for your concern. i will file it with the appropriate healthcare authorities. specifically my girlfriend who is reading your comment with me right now haha
yes that is my writing style. it is in fact the writing style of Donald Trump too. in person we are different i promise. as someone who ran both Presidential Scholars for Obama and Trump White House showcasing the INTEL ISEF math olympiad kids to Melania and Michelle, they are all great in person. i cannot speak to Biden and the rest.
What leads you to believe this post would make you attractive to another employer?
You even publicly posted your Separation Agreement, which contains a confidentiality clause in which you "agree[d] to maintain in complete confidence the existence of this Agreement."
It hurts to be let go and in these economic times, it can be scary. But this post is actually doing the opposite of what you want it to.
my network is not on hacker news comments nor linkedin reading crap like what i posted haha.
thanks for reading the fine print i didn't realize i had to not post that legally i will take it down now. tried contacted the lawyers (Cat & Zach & Jona but they didn't reply so now i will take it down. no prob. i'm compliant.)
Your network is not on HN but you submitted this and asked "please go upvote or leave your comments here:" with a link to HN?
Anyone in your "network" who sincerely wants to help would give you the simple advice I'm going to give you: grow up. This post and all of your replies here are cringey and immature, and don't bode well for your employability no matter how smart you are (or think you are).
yes my email and the blog content itself and my newsletter and private DMs and linkedin and each comment thread are each in separate databases and therefore i treat them as discrete surfaces on which to generate my tokens
oh also voice.
when i speak to the atoms in the air to people next to me in meatspace
that's the big one.
and the one Simple AI kinda bets on.
thanks for encouraging me to grow up that seems productive i will increase velocity t of the rate at which the future approaches me.
And then making this post? It's a pattern of self-destructive behavior.
The best possible course of action at this point is deleting the blog post. Note that the separation agreement you signed prohibits you from sharing any Separation Information—including consideration (in this case the $20K figure you reference is part of the consideration). Your blog post is public evidence and even this comment I'm making right now could end up in discovery if your former employer wanted. If I were you, I would not antagonize them further.
OP strikes me as quite childish. I’m guessing he’s quite young, nothing wrong with that.
And yeah, the circumstances aren’t great (the stressful move to SF in particular). Tough break!
andytrattner.com andys.blog
DOB 1/11/1996 cheers- from mequon wisconsin
If you’re going to fail hard and learn it from it, you could do worse than these experiences. If you’re at a startup, you’re either there for the economic opportunity of being on a rocket ship (equity lottery ticket), learning how to be a founder (because you might want to found your own startup), or learning how to do what your role is because you don’t have enough experience to be hired elsewhere (imho). Getting fired is fine, as long as you grow from the experience and weren’t actively or intentionally malicious (don’t do that). Pick yourself up, do better next role and company cast. It’s just a job.
(better than dario's) cheers
love the unsolicited wealth of advice
oh and esp for asian americans #metoo
The tactlessness is just awful. I would consider deleting that post.
is it that you need a new job and this is the hook? or do you have some insight into better ways of being letgo/fired/parted ways with?
its also not clear how long you were there for? (i'm not in the business of stalking people on linkedin)
some of us CEO types gotta grind and stalk on linkedin until the people come to us haha
But you forgot to say a few things in your post:
Hey everyone, I made an expensive move and changed my life for a job, and it didn't work out. In fact, I got fired. If anyone is looking for someone with experience in X Y and Z, I'm your guy.
Reading the title, I thought the company did something horrible to you, but I must have missed it from the text.
(The biggest crime I see in this text though is the inconsistent capitalization in sf)
FD Elon
and who are you i wonder, what's your "philosohpy" do tell!
Then is curious why you get “fired”.
EDIT - right*
I worked at a startup that offered to triple my equity if I stayed a full four years, a special offer to me for seven months of excellent performance. Four months later, growth below projections, they laid me off 19 days before my 1 year cliff. 3/9ths of the engineering team, gone.
The lesson I’ve learned is to never, ever, put long hours into a startup you don’t own. Ever.
Equity is a carrot that you usually never get, like the donkey you just keep chasing it.
The thing is even if you 'have' the equity share as an employee, you might never get liquidity. And (super obviously) most startups fail.
So even if you have a decent chunk of 'ownership', you really, _really_ need to believe in it to be working those hours. I'm talking the kind of belief built on your specialist and insider knowledge about why it's very likely to crush everything else. And even then you can get screwed!
https://aiosmedical.notion.site/working-at-aios https://www.linkedin.com/posts/richard-cartwright_40x-in-12m...
disclosure he's my friend and i already re-posted this to linkedin
I mean, I just don't get it. There doesn't seem to be a purpose, and no ostensible benefit to be had.
give people hugs, as tim ferriss says
You even publicly posted your Separation Agreement, which contains a confidentiality clause in which you "agree[d] to maintain in complete confidence the existence of this Agreement."
It hurts to be let go and in these economic times, it can be scary. But this post is actually doing the opposite of what you want it to.
thanks for reading the fine print i didn't realize i had to not post that legally i will take it down now. tried contacted the lawyers (Cat & Zach & Jona but they didn't reply so now i will take it down. no prob. i'm compliant.)
thanks kindly!!! appreciate the comment.
Anyone in your "network" who sincerely wants to help would give you the simple advice I'm going to give you: grow up. This post and all of your replies here are cringey and immature, and don't bode well for your employability no matter how smart you are (or think you are).
oh also voice. when i speak to the atoms in the air to people next to me in meatspace
that's the big one. and the one Simple AI kinda bets on.
thanks for encouraging me to grow up that seems productive i will increase velocity t of the rate at which the future approaches me.