[dwightgunning]

I only read the TLDR but it seems this is exactly what he's done. He's just published his account of what happened and how he felt throughout.

There are lessons there for other naive tech peeps to learn from so it seems a worthy read.

The bonus lesson for the same audience: if you "go public", focus on the general aspects of the events that others may encounter and anonymise/obfuscate the people and company involved so they're not the centrepiece of the story.

[balabaster]

Er, while I agree with you (partially), making the company and the situation the centrepiece of the story gives this story distinction from the rest of the "Here is my great business advice that nobody will listen to for the day" pieces that nobody ever reads or takes to heart.

Having the company name, having the situation exactly as it unfolds from the perspective of the guy who got fucked (and I don't use that word lightly) gives this story incredible power in peoples minds. It's real. If you anonymize it, it's just another fluff piece about how to not get screwed in business that gets glossed over and nobody gives a shit about.

The very fact that the company is named is the reason this piece made it to the front page of Hacker News. Without it, it would've slid silently into the night without anyone giving it a second thought.

[dwightgunning]

I see your point. I was thinking that by posting from a personal account, anybody who really wants to find out the company and people involved can do a little digging.

You can burn a bridge with individuals or you can nuke the whole area to the point where other people may not want to work with you in future.

[balabaster]

This is true; but on the other hand do you really care if you nuke sociopathic founders that are willing to exploit anyone else they can for their own material gain, screwing over others in the process?

This is not just about treating other people as you wish to be treated yourself, but also holding others accountable for their part in that.

Business is a two way street. Quid pro quo. If you have my back, I will have yours, until death do us part. But if you're willing to callously knife me in the back to get ahead, do I really care if I burn that bridge... or if the fire burns your entire business to the ground in the process?

There are lines that need to be drawn in the sand about how you treat people and treating others honorably as you would want them to treat you is where that line should be - at least, it is in my mind. Clearly this is not the case in some peoples minds.