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by JohnFen 1207 days ago
It all depends on the people. I know lots of people who prefer working for startups not because they're looking to get rich, but because the startup is doing something new that particularly excites them.

And in my statups, I want that group of people, and actively don't want the ones who are just looking for a big payday.
2 comments
HWR_14 1206 days ago
I assume you are either already rich or want to become rich because of your startups. Why wouldn't you expect people to want to also be rich?

I will say every time I hear someone claim that their employees should want to join them for non-monetary reasons, I assume its to try to keep more of the rewards for themselves.

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JohnFen 1205 days ago
> I assume you are either already rich or want to become rich because of your startups

You assume incorrectly. I am not rich by the standards of rich people (although I am rich by the standards of many others, but I think it's safe to say that most of the people reading my comment right now are wealthier than me), and I don't form startups because of a desire to gain wealth. I have no actual interest in amassing wealth as such.

I form startups because they give me the opportunity and freedom to engage in projects that deeply interest me.

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HWR_14 1205 days ago
"Not rich by the standards of rich people" is a moving target as your social class improves and you rub elbows with the more wealth as you make more money. There are people making $500k a year in the Bay Area or NYC who don't think they are rich. But the simplest dividing line I can think of is "has fuck you money". That is, could you (financially, not socially or being bored) retire tomorrow if you felt like it.
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jvalencia 1207 days ago
Early day startups generally have high risk, the options are the high yield to compensate for that risk
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JohnFen 1207 days ago
Right, but that's a bit different intent than looking to get rich.
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p1esk 1205 days ago
What’s wrong with looking to get rich as a reason to join or start a company?
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JohnFen 1205 days ago
I never said anything was wrong with it. I only claimed that's not the motivation for everyone, and in my own startups, I prefer people who are motivated by passion for the work over those who are motivated just by income potential.

That's not a value judgement, that's just being interested in finding people who are more on the same page as me.

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