| There are lots of reasons why a startup might fail. Technical competence and disorganization are way, way down the list. In my experience engineering at successful startups is often subpar. A successful startup engineer is above all productive, flexible, creative, and ships often. Their code gets the job done but probably wouldn't pass muster at a corporate job. Management at startups is always flailing about. If things aren't working, then you should be taking random stabs at doing something else. If things are working, you probably have many more problems you did yesterday and you should feel under-resourced. Your original post mentions something about laws being passed to outlaw your business model. That seems much more concerning. But in any case, here's what I'd look for * Is there a market for the thing we're doing? * Is our iteration fast and are we learning from what we do? * Do I trust the people I work with? Do they seem ethical? Even if someone here wants to oppose the idea of an ethical business, consider that there are about 10,000 ways to get screwed over as a startup employee and you want the people in charge to resist doing those things to you. |