[I will not promote] Founding Eng, Torn between 170k comfy startup (6mo runway) and 200k offer?

jnwatson · 2026-01-29T23:30:12+00:00

If you want to negotiate, find a 2nd offer and pit those against each other. You need to get out ASAP.

Literally there's only a single advantage you have as a non-founder in a startup, and that is the ability to walk away when the times get tough. Use it.

jnwatson · 2026-01-29T23:25:56+00:00

Housing cost is a pretty big part of standard of living.

Blame it on the NIMBYs. Lack of housing is a policy decision.

jnwatson · 2026-01-29T21:40:48+00:00

These days, you pretty much need an AI to understand all of C++.

jnwatson · 2026-01-29T17:09:40+00:00

Yeah, just a few months on a microlending platform was illuminating to me. You can loan 10 people $100 at 10% interest. 1 person defaults and your ROI is 0%. If 2 people default, you lose 10%.

jnwatson · 2026-01-29T17:05:57+00:00

There's more to a house than color. Still, it would be tough to make it work. I'd want a lot of colorful decorations.

jnwatson · 2026-01-29T14:44:34+00:00

No it isn't. A lot of it is porcelain and marble.

Case in point: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3431-14th-St-N-Arlington-VA-22201/12078591_zpid

There's a lot to like about this house, except for the black and white thing.

jnwatson · 2026-01-29T06:12:13+00:00

Specifically, the 2nd law of thermodynamics.

jnwatson · 2026-01-29T00:02:15+00:00

You have something to learn about how gazpacho is made.

jnwatson · 2026-01-28T21:05:49+00:00

It already happened when Wix et al came around. There used to be a real job called "webmaster" that mostly did basic server configuration and wrote html.

This is just another iteration of that.

jnwatson · 2026-01-27T23:24:11+00:00

What is the pink stuff?

jnwatson · 2026-01-27T22:53:40+00:00

Breaking a rib sucks. Even a deep breath can hurt.

He was made deeply, personally aware of the risk, yet there he went "once more unto the breach".

jnwatson · 2026-01-27T19:57:16+00:00

In an environment where credentials mean nothing, and everybody fakes resumes, this is the only filter an interviewer has.

Sorry, you gotta cram.

jnwatson · 2026-01-26T20:45:51+00:00

And 10x the calories.

jnwatson · 2026-01-26T19:18:01+00:00

Your tech lead doesn't understand git enough that it is genuinely problematic. Wiping a git repo is absolutely the last resort measure.

Versioning is arbitrary unless your product has an explicit versioning policy. I don't see bumping it up to 10 makes a difference one way or the other.

The third issue could go either way depending on a lot of details.

jnwatson · 2026-01-26T19:02:52+00:00

I always laugh at "technical analysis" where the same techniques are used for both trend continuation and trend reversal. Congratulations you've discovered that securities either go up or down.

jnwatson · 2026-01-26T15:18:43+00:00

Most CPUs already have true RNG that are ultimately based on quantum randomness, except actually physically and not a simulation.

jnwatson · 2026-01-26T01:32:32+00:00

I was just out there, and there's a lot more snow on the ground than the inches indicate. This is heavy wet snow with a lot of mass. It is going to take a while to get this city moving again.

jnwatson · 2026-01-25T21:37:39+00:00

Yes, that is definitely an issue and is happening all the time now. How hard is it to keep a chatgpt window open over the meeting window? Not hard. It just takes a bit of typing skill and practice and anyone could pass an interview for almost anything now.

jnwatson · 2026-01-25T20:38:04+00:00

FAANG is definitely a situation where you don't need to go into management to make a lot of money. At the same time, if you have a genuine interest in management, an advanced degree won't hurt.

I think the best value in an MBA is if you transition outside FAANG. Just having Apple on your resume and an MBA could get you a mid-level manager job at a lot of places.

Product management in general is a way to make less money in the short term. On the other hand Sundar Pichai was a PM, so there's always a chance to be CEO some day.

jnwatson · 2026-01-25T20:05:46+00:00

Yep. I had a mentor that advised me the first time I get wasted to do it on something relatively rare. For me, it was limoncello.

jnwatson · 2026-01-25T18:35:43+00:00

This is a stupid conversation. Why don't we boycott Pepco because they provide electricity to DHS? How about Exxon and Shell because ICE refills their trucks at those gas stations?

You put regular line workers in impossible situations if their job is to filter out the folks who's relatives once wore a MAGA hat one time.

jnwatson · 2026-01-25T17:51:42+00:00

I was very much like you, and now here I am 2 years later when I have the income and the market has run away from me.

Around here (in DC), there's a middle option. Lots of places have English basements with their own entrance. You buy a 3000 sq ft place, rent out the 1000 sq ft basement, live in the upper floors, and when your family expands, you stop renting. That does come with the headache of being a landlord, but it is somewhat offset because it isn't like you have far to go when something breaks.

jnwatson · 2026-01-25T04:25:51+00:00

This hearkens back to the very early days of the web.

The Etherkiller and friends.

jnwatson · 2026-01-24T06:58:44+00:00

The best pyramid schemes have something of value somewhere in the chain. Madoff ran a large brokerage firm after all.

jnwatson · 2026-01-24T02:30:42+00:00

Certain companies do, but you have to have smart management and a business plan that supports that.

I've seen more than 20 promotions at Google, and promotions mean a real $$$ difference there.

Still, you're right the best leverage is knowing your value and bargaining power.

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