[fortituded0002]

I'm cofounder of a small company and wear many hats - writing code, roadmap planning, mentoring, product design, etc. The diversity of skills needed is fantastic and loads of fun.

But the biggest benefit is I get to set set the culture of the company without having to answer to anyone else. I worked for years in corporate tech companies (FAANG) and while I could create little pockets of healthy spaces, there were always people getting in the way of creating a truly psychologically safe place for people. It's a huge relief not having to worry about that anymore and instead I can fully tap into the psychology of motivation, treat people with fairness and empathy, and be transparent without getting into trouble with leadership. It's made the job more satisfying and everyone we work with gets along amazingly well while being incredibly supportive of each other.

[jamal-kumar]

I'm in the same boat, I've had a few experiences of really awful work environments in the past like what you described and while that was honestly bearable for the most part it's just so much better being in companies where people actually give a damn about each other on a personal level.

[ssgodderidge]

It’s amazing how a few bad bananas can negatively impact a culture, isn’t it. The most attractive thing to me about entrepreneurship is what you described. FAANG companies so often have a few bad actors that set off a series of actions and reactions that lead to political, emotional turmoil. Better to make a culture yourself.

[RamblingCTO]

I would've written almost the same thing. CTO and co-founder here. I'll also add the part that I can be friends with so many amazing people and support them even outside the workspace. It's really rewarding.

[Raphomet]

You are living my dream. Happy to hear it's going well.

[xigurat]

I could have rewritten this my self. Same story here...

[bebopsbraunbaer]

are you hiring ?

[intelVISA]

The ideal endgame imo. I'm slightly jealous but also happy for you :)