[asanwal]

Jacques - I'm all for candor in discussions we have with candidates but in my view, this would be overreaching. I doubt most companies would be willing to show this unless they're hiring someone at the C-level. Plus for VC-backed startups, I wonder if there are limitations on showing this kind of stuff (we're revenue-backed so I can't comment on that)

I think your point #2 is valid even if you ask my initial question about "real money in the bank". If they don't know how much burn they have left or can't answer immediately or are reluctant, that is still a problem.

[jacques_chester]

It would depend on the size of the company.

Small company: I think it's not unreasonable to know at least the headlines of the financial state. After all, small businesses are inherently riskier and I may be making financial commitments based on the presumption that I will have a job.

Big company: I can probably just look it up myself.

Medium company: That's where it gets tricky.

> I think your point #2 is valid even if you ask my initial question about "real money in the bank". If they don't know how much burn they have left or can't answer immediately or are reluctant, that is still a problem.

Or if they say "cashflow statement?"

[matwood]

All the details may be overreaching, but if I'm joining a startup I definitely want to know revenue, profit/loss, and runway left if applicable.

I'd also want to know exactly how they make money or are planning to make money.

[joezydeco]

Are you joining as an employee, or as an investor? Because if you're not an investor, your ties to the financial state of the company begin and end with the paycheck that shows up on your desk every Friday.

[matwood]

your ties to the financial state of the company begin and end with the paycheck that shows up on your desk every Friday.

And the companies ability to pay that paycheck every Friday are of critical importance. We are all investors either with our money or our time (a paycheck is just a return on a time investment). I don't invest either without plenty of research.

[jacques_chester]

That's a simplistic view of matters. My relation to my employer is not quite so atomistic.

I carry enough savings to get by for a few weeks if they go broke or tire of my lame puns; but for many people certainty is worth money. That's why lots of folks prefer steady paycheques to high hourly rates or equity.

[joezydeco]

All I'm saying is:

1) Companies don't owe you any of this information as an interviewee. Sure, ask about the financial health of the company. But a balance sheet? Good luck.

2) You're going to get lied to in an interview about the health of the company. Do you really think a hiring manager is going to say "Yeah, we're throwing as many bodies as we can to finish this project, or else we're toast"? They want you to believe everything is fine from the day you start.

3) Even the financially secure companies hit the wall, get sued into oblivion, have their core product copied by Google, etc etc etc. You just don't know what will happen next.

[matwood]

1) Companies don't owe you any of this information as an interviewee. Sure, ask about the financial health of the company. But a balance sheet? Good luck.

They may not owe it to you just as you don't owe the company anything like showing up for an interview. It's what people do when they want a job and it's what the company should do if they want good people (this applies a lot more to small startup companies than a big corp because a big corp will have a lot of public information already out there). Good people will simply go somewhere else rather than take unneeded risks.

2) You're going to get lied to in an interview about the health of the company. Do you really think a hiring manager is going to say "Yeah, we're throwing as many bodies as we can to finish this project, or else we're toast"? They want you to believe everything is fine from the day you start.

Once again, if you lie to someone to get them to start work expect them to start looking to leave the day they find out you lied. They also will not likely work very well while they are still there. Of course, like #1, if the company is only hiring crappy people then it doesn't really matter. They are usually happy to take a job anywhere and ride the company into the ground.

3) Even the financially secure companies hit the wall, get sued into oblivion, have their core product copied by Google, etc etc etc. You just don't know what will happen next.

This is common sense. No one expects the company to know everything. That's all the more reason the company should be fairly open with potential employees so employees can walk in knowing what to expect. Let the employee decide before being hired if they want to be a part of a company that can easily be copyable or be a potential scam.

[joezydeco]

It's what people do when they want a job and it's what the company should do if they want good people (this applies a lot more to small startup companies than a big corp because a big corp will have a lot of public information already out there). Good people will simply go somewhere else rather than take unneeded risks.

Wasn't it mentioned somewhere else in this thread that a lot of small VC-backed startups are contractually compelled to not disclose their finances?

And when a small startup says "okay, Mr Experienced Developer With High Salary Requirements, we can't afford you (because we're very tight on cash), but take this Awesome Restricted Stock in lieu of comp", what do you say? Isn't that the big risk that is supposed to lead to the Big Payday?