[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?

[matwood]

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?

That's when you hammer them on what exactly they are doing. What is their product, market, sales strategy, exit strategy, pricing, and finances. Ownership, options, etc... are worthless in a worthless company. Risk doesn't mean going in blindly.

And yes, I've turned down options and jobs before because the CTO couldn't really answer these types of questions during an interview. Interestingly enough, the one company that was most secretive and offered me the most options was the one that went out of business a month after I turned them down. Others, I've heard after the fact how they are horrible places to work. The interview process is a two way street, especially in small companies.

[jacques_chester]

> 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?

If that's their situation, I won't complain.

> Isn't that the big risk that is supposed to lead to the Big Payday?

Sure, it's a bit of a gamble. But experienced punters check the form guide.