Ask HN: Downsides of leaving startup after two weeks? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Downsides of leaving startup after two weeks?

9 pointshow_big_is_sv17 comments

Key facts:

1. Company exited in 2020 and I stayed on until Q4'21 due to golden handcuffs

2. Those handcuffs made me Kentucky FIRE so I planned on taking H1'22 off and trying to find employment again in Q3'22 so I can become California FIRE

3. Word spread of my availability and I was convinced to join a Series A YC startup, and my first day was last Monday

4. I joined the same day as three other engineers, making the team the CEO, CTO, First Engineer, the New Hires

5. Today we had a "design review" to go over an upcoming design overhaul. Throughout, none of the three New Hires could get questions in because the Founding Engineer would condescendingly shoot them down. On several occasions the Founding Engineer would out right laugh at the question and make a dismissive remark. On _several_ occasions legitimate design concerns were shot down with inaccurate information by the Founding Engineer.

6. Throughout this, the CEO & CTO would occasionally call out the Founding Engineer, but at large the behavior was tolerated

7. The Founding Engineer was on a roll and after the design review concluded, interrupted my conversation with another New Hire to make a snide remark about how they purchased the wrong type of Cherry keys.

8. I lack full context after only 1.5 weeks, but it seemed clear from the topics of the design review that this company is in dire need of technical & product leadership.

9. I do not have financial motivation to work (for a while). Never in my professional career (10+ years) have I ever been dismissed so offhandedly and all around treated this poorly. I learned today that when salary is no longer a key motivator, the other aspects of work become way more important.

10. My industry is much smaller in the Bay than the general software industry and the CEO is very well connected within my network. I am very concerned about the impression leaving after only 2 weeks would look like. I know I cannot tolerate a year (first cliff on equity) of the behavior I was subjected to today.

11. The work is genuinely interesting

The Question: Is quitting after two weeks a high-risk career move and if so, what's a generally "safe" amount of time to quit after joining a startup? The longer I stay the more my Bus Factor increases and I want to keep it as low as possible for their sake.

You did the right thing. The first three months you find out how you will fit in and if the relationship will work.

I've quit after a day. I didn't think the noise level and space provided would work.

I've been given a contract to sign the morning of the first day and quit.

It won't matter to your network. What matters is finding the right place.

Leave. No one cares. Do not put it on your resume or on your LinkedIn profile. There is literally no downside here, as long as you are comfortable with seeking employment outside your network (assuming your connections will even care, which seems exceedingly unlikely to me).

I would have a 1:1 conversation with the CEO or CTO. Ask them if this meeting matches what they expect the culture of the company to be like. Express that it doesn't really match how you like to work.

Your goal is that once you leave everyone says "It just wasn't a good fit" as many times as possible, because that's what lets them still recommend you to their friends.

And yes, you should feel free to leave.

You have rattled off a number of terms I have never seen and have no context for. "Kentucky FIRE", "California FIRE", "Cherry keys"... I have literally no idea what you are talking about even after "googling them". I'm sure there will be some in the know who are like, "That dude does not even know what Cherry keys are" and scoff at me perhaps like the engineer is scoffing at you now. Press him on why he feels your questions trivial and perceptions inaccurate.

Then, speak directly to the CEO one on one and let them know your disappointing onboarding impressions. The CEO is almost assuredly going to tell you they know it is a problem but he (I assume it was a he) in an asshole-savant and the company needs him. If you want at that point you can resign with a perfectly valid reason. I would not mention it on a resume nor put it on a linkedin profile. I might if pressed in an interview use it as an example for when you stood up for the right thing on principle.

FIRE is financially independent and retired early. It's a whole movement of people who've realized if they make enough money, invest wisely, and avoid lifestyle creep and the hedonic treadmill it's possible to retire much earlier. Cost of living is way less in Kentucky, so this person was able to amass enough capital to retire there already, but is jumping back into work so they can save up enough to FIRE (it's a verb too!) in the much more expensive (and nicer) California.

Cherry Keys are a popular type of switches for mechanical keyboards.

Cool thanks. Learn something new every day.

Cherry keys = a type of keyboard switch. The guy was making fun of his keyboard because of his key switches I guess.

Kentucky FIRE = financially independent retired early FOR KENTUCKY. Meaning he needed a lot less money there to hit FIRE status.

The lead tech guy does seem like an ass. Main point is to press them for more info and make them justify their critique.

Perhaps he has no justification for being abusive or perhaps there is a kernel of wisdom in the badly offered critique and the new employees will learn something like I just did.

> 7. The Founding Engineer was on a roll and after the design review concluded, interrupted my conversation with another New Hire to make a snide remark about how they purchased the wrong type of Cherry keys.

If you sit near the founding engineer now is the time to bring in a buckling spring model-m keyboard for his auditory pleasure.

Unless your industry is literally 5 college-buddies, I am not sure how it can be a high-risk career move given where you are. For my 2c, you should talk to the CTO - this is the person who will make/break the organizational tone. If they tell you to pound sand, so what? You tried to voice concerns, and they ignored you (it would have been worse to stay). You scrub it from the ol' resume, and move on. The other branch is that they set expectations firmly with this person, and your life improves. I genuinely don't think there is risk either way in your position if I am honest.

The Founding Engineer (aka First Engineer?) needs to be removed. Speak with the CEO and CTO, surface your concern.

Having been in the CXO shoes before, I would have let the Founding Engineer go. Awesome if they give us a few weeks (fully paid of course) to KT to you.

At a startup, esp. of this size, team cohesion is critical and this person is a no go.

If you don't want to do this, you should still inform them after you resign because they have to sketch a plan for replacement of this Founding Engineer anyways.

> making the team the CEO, CTO, First Engineer, the New Hires

The team is six people? And you're having meetings where people need to get questions in? This sounds dysfunctionally soliod for this size. And combative meeting, not positive challenges?

These are bad signs. The founder engineer sounds like they will sink the ship. And that the ship has already lost the helm. Consider yourself Geordie and do a dive before the warp core takes you with it

Bounce. Your reputation will remain intact. Just be polite when communicating your intent to not move forward with the org.

No, the first three months of any job is a two way street as far fit goes as long as you're professional it's fine. Before you do though, have a conversation with the CTO and let them know what's going on and if you're then not satisfied with their response feel free to resign.

My biggest regret from the first startup I joined was waiting six months to quit when the warning signs were apparent and obvious in the first week after I started.

Talk to the executives, but they clearly know the “founding engineer” is a problem and they tolerate it.

someone with your skills and money shouldn't worry about getting up and leave a toxic environment. I may not interpret the situation correctly but I can tell you the sooner the better. I had friends leaving days after starting, me personally weeks after starting. in the long run nobody remembers "that guy who was here two weeks" but you will definitely remember a bad workplace.

imo if you with your experience is already questioning these issues after 1.5 weeks it stands to show that this company, without a vast overhaul, seems to be the issue instead of you, as an individual.

It doesn't seem like a high-risk career move if you were able to substantiate your claims to recruiters/hiring managers/whoever in the event that they were to discover this inconsistency in your resume.

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