Dave Rosenthal

If I'm just getting a paycheck every couple of weeks from you, I'm putting in my 40 hours or whatever. Like, should I care? Because it's your company, right? Unless I'm getting some equity or stock or something, right? From doing more, right? Then you're paying me for, right? Like, how should I view founder mode? If I'm a software engineer writing Go code, right?

If I'm just getting a paycheck every couple of weeks from you, I'm putting in my 40 hours or whatever. Like, should I care? Because it's your company, right? Unless I'm getting some equity or stock or something, right? From doing more, right? Then you're paying me for, right? Like, how should I view founder mode? If I'm a software engineer writing Go code, right?

How should I... And you come at me with founder mode, like... Should I care? Is it relevant to me? Like, so basically I'm trying to, the way I understood it is, okay, I understand the spirit of the essay, but how do I make it applicable? How do I take the good parts, so to speak, right? And make them applicable to what I do on a day-to-day basis if I'm not a founder, right?

How should I... And you come at me with founder mode, like... Should I care? Is it relevant to me? Like, so basically I'm trying to, the way I understood it is, okay, I understand the spirit of the essay, but how do I make it applicable? How do I take the good parts, so to speak, right? And make them applicable to what I do on a day-to-day basis if I'm not a founder, right?

And that's what our discussion focused on.

And that's what our discussion focused on.

I would say if you're not, so I think my attitude is, on sort of being a quote unquote cog in the machine has sort of shifted over the years. Before I used to think, and early on in my career, or perhaps not even a, not even sort of my career, but early on, or rather, let's say, let's go back 10, 20, 25 years, right? Companies, right? That's back. Hey, I've been, I've been doing this for a while.

I would say if you're not, so I think my attitude is, on sort of being a quote unquote cog in the machine has sort of shifted over the years. Before I used to think, and early on in my career, or perhaps not even a, not even sort of my career, but early on, or rather, let's say, let's go back 10, 20, 25 years, right? Companies, right? That's back. Hey, I've been, I've been doing this for a while.

I've been around. I've been around. People have been paying me to write code for 26 years now. I calculated it and I'm like, and I'm astounded by that fact. But anyways, if I go back to the early days, you know, a few years ago where companies had a, I think, had a softer edge, at least one that appeared that way. You know, companies used to talk about, oh, we are family here, right?

I've been around. I've been around. People have been paying me to write code for 26 years now. I calculated it and I'm like, and I'm astounded by that fact. But anyways, if I go back to the early days, you know, a few years ago where companies had a, I think, had a softer edge, at least one that appeared that way. You know, companies used to talk about, oh, we are family here, right?

You know, we care about our people, like all of that sort of language. I think underneath everybody sort of knew You pay me to do the job, and I know if I stop doing the job or if I don't do it well by some definition, I'm out of here, right? People knew that, but companies were more willing, at least in the tech sector, were more sort of softer on the edges, so to speak.

You know, we care about our people, like all of that sort of language. I think underneath everybody sort of knew You pay me to do the job, and I know if I stop doing the job or if I don't do it well by some definition, I'm out of here, right? People knew that, but companies were more willing, at least in the tech sector, were more sort of softer on the edges, so to speak.

But nowadays, I don't think anybody who works in tech, especially in light of the recent rounds and rounds and rounds of layoffs and everything else, and you got... People are recording and putting their layoffs on TikTok and things.

But nowadays, I don't think anybody who works in tech, especially in light of the recent rounds and rounds and rounds of layoffs and everything else, and you got... People are recording and putting their layoffs on TikTok and things.

The attitude towards companies with those languages that say, oh, we care about our people, whatever it is, yet executives are raking in millions in bonuses while they're laying off people. That's dissonance between what they're saying or have been saying and the reality of you being an employee or cog in that machine. No matter how good a job you do,

The attitude towards companies with those languages that say, oh, we care about our people, whatever it is, yet executives are raking in millions in bonuses while they're laying off people. That's dissonance between what they're saying or have been saying and the reality of you being an employee or cog in that machine. No matter how good a job you do,

You are always at risk, no matter how good a job you do. While they might position your layoff or your firing as a performance thing, we all know that's not always true. Right. We know at the end of the day, companies, especially publicly traded companies, they don't have your best interests at heart. They have the shareholders and best interests at heart. That is priority one, the shareholder.

You are always at risk, no matter how good a job you do. While they might position your layoff or your firing as a performance thing, we all know that's not always true. Right. We know at the end of the day, companies, especially publicly traded companies, they don't have your best interests at heart. They have the shareholders and best interests at heart. That is priority one, the shareholder.

Right. So you as an employee, you are means to that end. Right. So the more you understand sort of that reality. Right. The more you can calibrate your relationship with an employer or whatever you're involved in. Right. So that doesn't mean, however, that you stop caring about your craft, what you do, right? The professionalism that you bring to your work, right?

Right. So you as an employee, you are means to that end. Right. So the more you understand sort of that reality. Right. The more you can calibrate your relationship with an employer or whatever you're involved in. Right. So that doesn't mean, however, that you stop caring about your craft, what you do, right? The professionalism that you bring to your work, right?