[temphn]

> Now this is interesting. What triggers that reaction? Is it asking for the particular documents, or is it the request for meaningful information?

It's sort of like a woman who asks you what car you drive right off the bat, on the first date. It indicates she is only in it for the money. And that she also lacks the social intelligence necessary to gain information without revealing that she's only in it for the money.

For a startup to succeed its people need to be a bit irrational. A pure profit maximizing strategy for a good developer is just to do something boring at Google. You aren't joining a startup to do median case profit maximization, you're doing it to (a) do something interesting for a change and (b) have a shot at a big payday.

Now, there's a certain undercurrent here at HN that says "F you, pay me". OK, but this is not the type of personality that is likely to build something great. They are the first ones to bail when things get rough, the first ones to trash their former (or current) employers, the first ones to lay blame.

There is a role for highly skilled mercenaries, just as there is a role for really beautiful golddiggers. But they should gravitate to Google/really rich men, as that's where they'll find a mutually satisfactory exchange.

[jacques_chester]

What about the "runway" question?

It's the same thing: I want a sense of the risk I'm taking, but without signalling (incorrectly IMO) that I'm just such a mercenary.