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Ask HN: What questions should I ask a founder before joining a 10 people startup

6 点作者 mind_heist超过 10 年前
Hi All - I have been working for a large storage&#x2F;cloud company for around 4 years and currently looking for another job. I have been interviewing for a while &amp; have been talking to a lot of small size startups too (less than 10 people).<p>What questions should one ask the founders before joining them ?

5 条评论

MichaelCrawford超过 10 年前
Can you show me where I&#x27;ll be sitting? (I once thought I&#x27;d get a private office, but was made to sit in - I swear I&#x27;m not making this up! - &quot;The Boiler Room&quot;.)<p>A company of just 10 people wouldn&#x27;t have a lunchroom. Before you accept an offer - preferably before you interview - explore the neighborhood around the office, to determine whether there are good places for lunch, or for coffee or beer, if that is to your taste.<p>I would not consider working for a big company unless they had a good lunchroom. It&#x27;s not that I can&#x27;t go out to eat, or bring my own lunch, but there&#x27;s something about a lousy lunchroom in my workplace that I find quite depressing.<p>If I drive, can you cover my parking, or alternatively will you cover public transit?<p>Do you have an employee library? (Most companies don&#x27;t. That is the essence of stupidity. There should be at least a few technical books, for the languages, tools, platforms and APIs you use.)<p>Have any of your products been reviewed in the trade press? (Better if you find this out on your own, but you might not be able to find the reviews. The products might have online reviews though.)<p>Don&#x27;t ask in the interview, but search around for dirt on the company principles. Like maybe they robbed a previous company blind, then invested their ill-gotten gains in the firm you are interviewing with. I actually worked for one such company.<p>Do you provide on-the-job training? (Even if you have the chops to fulfill your job description, work will get uninteresting if you don&#x27;t get to learn anything new on the job.)<p>Do you pay for conference tickets or travel?
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mswen超过 10 年前
Ask them about their journey from pain-point and idea to where they are today. Listen carefully and somewhat skeptically to this story. Ask yourself, where do you get the sense that they are exaggerating or glossing over something. Ask about pivots in product and strategy. Ask about financial near-death experiences. As you probe this story try to get a sense of how the founders handle tough circumstances.<p>Ask about false starts with co-founders or employees that just didn&#x27;t work out. Try to get a sense of how the founder makes tough choices and deals with interpersonal conflict.<p>Do I think the company will get traction and grow? If I am employee #7 and I can credibly see how this becomes a company with 100 employees then there is room for me to grow and succeed with the company.<p>When the pressure is on, how does the founder treat employees? Is he quick to sacrifice their interests for his own? Does he take responsibility or is he quick to shift blame?<p>Is there a good fit for my skills such that I can make a noticeable difference in technology and business outcomes for the company over the next couple of years?
aaronbrethorst超过 10 年前
What percentage of the company does my offered equity stake represent?
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IpV8超过 10 年前
What is their exit plan? Are they trying to sell the business soon or are they in it for the long haul? Who are the potential buyers and how are they making the company appealing to those buyers.
dpeck超过 10 年前
Does stock come in the form of a restricted grant or options?