Ask HN: Our Series F Competitor Is Trying to Poach Me from My Series B Startup | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Our Series F Competitor Is Trying to Poach Me from My Series B Startup

11 pointsgettingpoached6 comments

I'm not sure what to do about it, or how to proceed. I normally explore any opportunity that comes up, but, this one seems tricky for a number of reasons. Context:

My current role: I'm in charge of a division, think "all of sales/marketing/engineering/customer support/etc" reports to me. I've been there basically since the beginning and think the company could be successful. It is not without its serious frustrations though (mostly around comp, title, executive involvement, and growth opportunities).

Whats happening now: Our competitor reached out to me. I normally am at least open to hearing about opportunities, but, it seems that even talking to this competitor could reveal some secret about what our company does. In the reasonably-likely event I decide against Competitor, then will I have damaged my current company's success? Does talking to them at all put us more on their radar?

I'm at a point where I need to decide between:

1) Don't respond to their emails at all

2) Respond and say I'm not interested

3) Respond and immediately call out anything that would be deal breakers

4) Go whole heartedly into the process

5) Other?

You haven't told us your level of equity/options and vesting with your current opportunity. These determine where you are on the spectrum between being owned and rented.

Most companies err substantially on the side of rent. Assuming there isn't a huge pile of money you'd be leaving behind by getting poached, and there is a huge pile of money on the other side, the decision should be pretty clear. Since you mentioned your comp is a point of frustration, well, duh, pursue it.

Corporations for some reason optimize for the employees who get zero equity, and yet never jump ship when their pay rates fail to appreciate at a commensurate rate with their experience and how essential they are to ongoing operations.

If that kind of employee is you, keep stagnating. I get a feeling it's not.

If you feel like you have absolutely no future at the Series B, talk with Series F secretly.

If you feel like there is any hope of a future at Series B, respond to Series F with "thank you for reaching out! I appreciate all networking requests. Let's revisit this in the future as now is not the best time for me to consider new ventures."

Explore it like any other opportunity. It might not work out for you, or them, or both of you. You might not get an offer, you might find the place would be a worse fit. Be conscious and intentional with what you say. Figure out what legal agreements you're bound by and don't violate them.

It might also lead to a good offer you can use to help get better comp / title / growth opportunities / autonomy at your current job.

Series F seems like a red flag to me, but if you don't have a non-compete then you should be fine. I wouldn't worry much about revealing secrets. It should be obvious what sort of things you shouldn't disclose and it's unlikely anything from a few hours of interviewing will affect the other company's operations.

One thing to keep in mind is that you may have signed a non-compete when you joined your company. If you have, that should be a major factor in how you respond.

Doesn't apply if OP is in California.

OP: Your responsibility is first to yourself (and you're clearly under-compensated both financially and career-wise, in your own words: "mostly around comp, title, executive involvement, and growth opportunities"). I'd engage them in good faith and see if they can offer a better deal than what you're currently getting. Don't share anything that could be reasonably construed as trade secrets or other protected information. If the offer is solid, jump. Don't give notice until everything is signed and you have a start date. Good luck.

Not a lawyer, not your lawyer.

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