
Ask PG: Does smoking marijuana affect the ability to hack and run a startup? - snoop_a_loop
Throw away account. I have a startup in San Francisco, and smoking weed actually is quite therapeutic. It is an outlet for stress and the never-ending wall of burden. Development and startups are evolving so fast, and it often feels like you are never adequate. You always need to be learning and using X new language or technology. My startup is the hardest thing I&#x27;ve done so far in my life.<p>The culture of San Francisco also is heavily accepting, even promoting of smoking marijuana. Often times it feels like some of the best hackers I know smoke on a regular basis.<p>However, there are noticeable side-effects. Some short term memory loss, sometimes I find it difficult to stay focused, on-task, and motivated. On the flip side, I do some of my best hacking high. I&#x27;m able to focus on a single problem; become tunnel vision. Problems just become simpler.<p>Thoughts? Can, and should a startup founder, as a leader, and public face of a company smoke? Can you be an amazing hacker smoking consistently?
======
brc
Smoke weed if you like but don't kid yourself it's making you better at your
work, ezpecially if you do it regularly. If you need stress relief, get good
rest and exercise.

I've seen several promising friends fizzle and burn out because they started
needing to have a smoke for breakfast. Just keep it to the occasional party
and try to phase it out completely as you continue the process of growing up.

~~~
pokesmot
"The only pot smokers _I know and am aware of_ are burnt out, so they all will
burn out! Oh and it's immature, whatever that means."

Sorry for the snark, but when there's clearly a visibility problem, these one-
off negative anecdotes given as universal observations and advice are nearly
useless.

~~~
maratd
Look, I'm all for legalization, but let's not kid ourselves.

Alcohol doesn't make you more sociable. Tobacco doesn't make you look cool.
And weed doesn't help you relax.

Or rather, all of the above certainly do that, but there are ample
alternatives that do it better and have zero consequences for your health.

~~~
nested
Have you ever known someone who uses marijuana medicinally?

~~~
maratd
No. What precisely is your point? That there are legitimate uses for weed? Ok,
agreed.

There are legitimate uses for alcohol too. Great disinfectant. Great at
cleaning mechanical parts.

Doesn't mean drinking half a bottle of vodka a day will make you a great
business leader. Smoking weed won't make you into one either.

~~~
pokesmot
Comparing getting high in your free time to drinking half a bottle is so
disingenuous, it's actually embarrassing to watch you do this.

That, and you know what, going around calling everyone "kids" because you
can't formulate an argument makes you look bad, not the "kids" you're looking
down on.

You're so clearly unwilling to even listen on this issue, it was apparent from
the get-go.

I'd hate to ever get caught eating a piece of chocolate in front of you. You'd
probably slap it out of my hands, call me a fatty and tell me there are
healthier ways to make myself happy.

~~~
maratd
Maybe if you weren't so high when you wrote that reply, it would have actually
made sense.

> That, and you know what, going around calling everyone "kids" because you
> can't formulate an argument makes you look bad, not the "kids" you're
> looking down on.

I never called anyone kids?

> I'd hate to ever get caught eating a piece of chocolate in front of you.
> You'd probably slap it out of my hands, call me a fatty and tell me there
> are healthier ways to make myself happy.

If you were sitting in front of me, eating a piece of chocolate, telling me
how eating that chocolate is going to make you a better business leader ...
well, I'd be making fun of you just as much as I'm doing now =)

~~~
pokesmot
>Maybe if you weren't so high when you wrote that reply, it would have
actually made sense.

Are you kidding me? How petty, childish, immature and snarky can you be about
this? What an obvious defense mechanism. (The irony being I'm in the middle of
a two month break from using anything as I'm traveling).

I didn't claim it would make me a better business leader. I claimed it
wouldn't make me a worse one and you've done nothing to show otherwise but
offer a single stupid anecdote to dismiss everyone else.

And yes, you've three times now implied (or explicitly said) that anyone who
even smokes pot _occasionally_ needs to grow up. (Imagine the absurdity if I
said that about having a beer. And you're already jumping to a million
conclusions in your head _that you know nothing about_ ). You're a smug person
latching to stereotypes. A tough anti-drug guy (proudly) making fun of people
for what they do in their spare time. Just like I said: preconceived notions
and judgmental condescension. Thanks for confirming all of my suspicions from
my very first post in this thread.

All gay people I know have lisps, so they all do; don't you know?

~~~
nested
You think he is bad here? Just read his comments. They speak plenty about his
character.

~~~
maratd
LMAO! You created another throwaway account to post this? How insecure are
you?!?

~~~
nested
This isn't a throwaway...

------
gexla
This seems like a silly question to be aimed at PG. Why would he have any
special insight on this?

> Development and startups are evolving so fast, and it often feels like you
> are never adequate. You always need to be learning and using X new language
> or technology. My startup is the hardest thing I've done so far in my life.

Always X is always wrong. There are always exceptions. Often, your always is
the exception rather than the norm. As I look the tools people are using
today, I feel like we have barely moved. Developers are using the same tools,
they have just got a little heavier.

The founders would rightfully be stressed, but isn't it their jobs to protect
developers from all that so they can focus on their jobs? Again, I would think
that high stress would be the exception rather than the norm for anyone not
actually running the company. Why should you be stressed if you don't own the
company? The unemployment rate for developers is low enough that you can just
get another job if the company fails. Right? That's not to say you shouldn't
be packing a mighty can of whoop-ass in the name of your company, but you
don't need to kill yourself either.

> However, there are noticeable side-effects. Some short term memory loss,
> sometimes I find it difficult to stay focused, on-task, and motivated. On
> the flip side, I do some of my best hacking high. I'm able to focus on a
> single problem; become tunnel vision. Problems just become simpler.

A lack of focus is a side effect of some of the worst blockers of
productivity. That includes lack of sleep, drinking alcohol (and the hangover
after,) being sick and burned out. This would overrule any perceived gains for
me. Does it matter that you are able to do better hacking after smoking weed?
What are you working on? Slow and steady is generally a winning strategy as
long as you are shipping. Sometimes you have to put in relatively heavy hours
to accelerate this, but you get there eventually. It doesn't have to be a work
of art, it doesn't have to be brilliant, just ship the dang thing and move on.

~~~
bdcravens
_This seems like a silly question to be aimed at PG. Why would he have any
special insight on this?_

PG doesn't shy away from identifying characteristics of founders/YC alums.

------
priyadarshy
OP, I don't mean this to be negative or mean but I'll say it because I'd want
someone to say it to me.

You need to look inside yourself and decide what is right for you and your
circumstance. Certainly you cannot expect PG to issue an edict down from the
clouds. You are pandering to your role model/idol/God figure to approve a
behavior whose merits you haven't decided for yourself.

Furthermore, it is a fact that PG is infinitely wise when it comes to
succeeding in startups but as a community of people that look up to him for
his advice and indirect mentorship I'd rather we not request his 'judgement'
on matters like this because of the disproportionate weight his words carry.

------
bdcravens
_Development and startups are evolving so fast, and it often feels like you
are never adequate. You always need to be learning and using X new language or
technology._

I think this is a myth. Yes, there's a romanticism of the culture of being
cutting edge. Truthfully, those that ship well, and actually turn profits for
founders, are most often running on 15+ year old languages.

------
JohnBooty
Pot should be recreational, not something you need.

    
    
      It is an outlet for stress and the never-ending wall 
      of burden. Development and startups are evolving so 
      fast, and it often feels like you are never adequate. 
      You always need to be learning and using X new language 
      or technology.
    

I ran my own tiny business for a while and the "always on" syndrome was
definitely the toughest aspect. Felt like I should always be doing
something... 24/7/365.

It was very tough to disconnect my mind from work. It was exhausting and very
tough on my personal relationships! I feel you there.

Thing is, pot is only ever (at best) treating your symptoms. It's not fixing
any of the root causes of those symptoms, the things that are making you feel
like you need to be always on.

1\. Exercise, a good diet, and sleep may seem boring as hell but those are
really how you strengthen your mind and body to deal with stress.

2\. Also don't forget to feed your soul. Meditation, prayer, whatever works
for you. I'm an atheist and there are lots of ways to meditate that don't
involve believing in the supernatural.

3\. Adding some structure may help with the "always on" angst. Make Wednesday
afternoons or Sunday mornings (or whatever) the time when you play with new
languages, so you don't feel like you have to be doing it 24/7.

4\. Have a good note-taking system (moleskine, note app, whatever) so that you
can record thoughts and to-dos, rather than having 50 things bouncing around
in your head that feel like they need to be acted upon immediately lest you
forget them. "Getting Things Done" is big on this; it's worth at least
skimming that book for ideas because even if you don't adopt the whole system
there is some seriously good shit in there you can poach.

------
tlb
As a hacker you can probably get away with it. If you're a 10x hacker, maybe
you'll be an 8x hacker that's less stressed and more happy. Depending on how
you handle stress, maybe you'll be more effective overall. It's a tradeoff you
can make with yourself. (Be sure to stay legal and get a prescription.)

While you're leading a company, don't. Being a good leader requires a great
memory. If you forget half of what was said on Fridays because you smoked that
night, you're hosing everyone.

------
pvnick
While Steve Jobs is an entrepreneurial outlier, and I recommend against
smoking weed often simply because it can be a crutch for psychological issues,
Jobs had an interesting history of LSD and cannabis use: "The best way I could
describe the effect of the marijuana and hashish is that it would make me
relaxed and creative" [1]. And then went on to found what became the most
valuable company on the planet.

[1]
[http://archive.is/20120916001237/http://www.smh.com.au/techn...](http://archive.is/20120916001237/http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-
news/jobss-pentagon-papers-kidnap-fears-drug-use-and-a-speeding-
ticket-20120612-206yr.html)

~~~
wturner
I've seen a lot of articles stating that when you're tired the mind is more
'creative' irrespective of drug use. If pot can be used as a responsible tool
for 'creativity' its one thing, but I've had childhood friends that have
smoked heavily since they were young and are literally in a permanent state of
arrested intellectual development.

------
Alex3917
Rather than posting this as an 'Ask PG', why don't you actually go read some
books on the topic? This reminds me of Randy Cohen talking about all the
people who email him asking for permission to do blatantly unethical stuff.

~~~
larrys
What would be interesting is if one of those link bait psuedo tech
publications decided to use the, um, Betteridge-esq headline and actually do
that research which you suggest.

Seems as if that would collect a bit of attention. And if the publication then
issued a press release (if they actually did their own research and/or
surveys) the mainstream press would pick up on it.

------
kranner
If anything affected my short term memory adversely, I wouldn't touch it with
a ten-foot pole.

~~~
snoop_a_loop
Do you drink alcohol?

~~~
kranner
Ahem, the same question seems to have been posted and deleted from a different
account, which I know courtesy HN Notify. Others may have gotten similar
notifications. Let's say the other account name has something to do with
server-side javascript.

snoop_a_loop, if you are serious about protecting your identity with regards
to this thread, consider deleting it immediately.

~~~
snoop_a_loop
I know you want to show everybody how clever you are, but come on, this
comment is not productive. I ask that you restrain yourself from being a
troll, and be respectful.

~~~
kranner
A troll? I'm not hiding behind a throwaway account, asking for opinions
justifying a drug habit.

If you're not the other guy, no harm done. If you are, consider that I could
have been trying to be helpful. Clearly you consider anonymity important
enough to be using a throwaway account.

------
dasht
I think it is still taboo among most VC's and angels. Founders are supposed to
be cookie-cutter stereotypes who fit a pre-established program. Your
personality / public face can be "challenging" but not challenging, if you
know what I mean.

~~~
snoop_a_loop
Everybody accepts drinking coffee or caffeine, but its clearly "performance"
improving. There is even a culture of providing adderall to employees if they
want. Do investors frown upon those activities?

~~~
dasht
Employers turning a blind-eye to intra-company dealing / distribution is not
at all a new thing but I don't think that was the poster's question. I think
the poster was talking about open-ness and public face. Again, for VCs and
such -- and although that crowd will sometimes deny this -- founders are
supposed to be cookie cutter stereotypes.

An openly pot-head founder risks offending or scaring customers or buyers or
later investors. It also indicates some who doesn't get the "performative"
aspect of being a commodity founder: the expected degree of conformative role
playing.

------
larrys
"smoking weed actually is quite therapeutic. It is an outlet for stress and
the never-ending wall of burden. Development and startups are evolving so
fast, and it often feels like you are never adequate."

My advice? I will fall back on the saying "if you can't take the heat stay out
of the kitchen".

There are many reasons why someone might have to medicate themselves if they
have a situation that is not under their control (family problems, health as
only two). And I"m not saying that someone _should medicate_ themselves in
those situations but just that it's more understandable when you have to deal
with some external things that you have little or no control over. But with
respect to "getting ahead" if you can't take the pressure, and you need to
medicate, you should seriously consider setting your goals a bit lower. To me
if you are thinking of this as a "never-ending wall of burden" then you have
not chosen the correct career path.

Of course others may disagree and feel differently but I've seen to many
people reach for the brass ring and as a result of pressure which they can't
handle fall into some dependency or behavioral problem as a result of that
dependency.

~~~
Valid
I have to say, the idea of lowering my goals in light of increasing stress
haunts me at night. It would be so easy (or at least it feels that way now) to
just stop being ambitious and stop chasing the dream, as stress levels
increase along with risks. I just can't do it. Even though it's intensely
stressful at times, I think that striving for a grand goal is a part of who I
am, in much the same way that my personal stress tolerance is. If I was going
to change anything, it would be to reduce my stress through any other means
than to stop trying to achieve more than I am physical capable. I take
nootropics, stimulants (light ones, these days, though I had previously been
on much stronger ones) for cognitive/performance enhancement so I can excel
further than I would be able without them. I could have removed the need for
them, but that, to me, is a far worse fate.

Just my thoughts.

~~~
larrys
See now everyone (investors, friends, perhaps even a spouse) is going to egg
you on because they won't have to clean up the mess that _might_ result from
the amount of stress you are putting yourself under.

(I say "might" because I don't know enough about the specifics of your
situation.)

But I do know that for sure anyone who eggs you on will have no detriment to
the choices that you have made to get ahead.

I do understand how you have to do this because everyone else is taking that
route.

Back in the day I never even tried pot. Or cigarettes. And everyone else was
doing it back then. But then again it wasn't used to enhance performance or
get ahead. So I can't honestly say what I would have done if faced with a peer
group that was using performance enhancing drugs that I had to compete with.

------
throwaway10
At the risk of enabling some questionable behavior (i.e. asking people on the
internet for advice regarding something so controversial), I would say don't
do it. It will probably save you trouble, and thereby save me trouble as well.
Note that I have not addressed whether anyone has a reason to listen to me in
particular on this topic.

------
leeoniya
i cannot get anything done after smoking except for couching, lazy remote
operation, eating and sleeping. if i have anything to get done (which is 99%
of the time), i don't smoke. my buddy, however, smokes whenever he's awake and
is the most productive/brilliant engineer i've ever met, i don't get it.

~~~
kordless
You may want to try a couple of varieties of pure Sativa. You may be one of
those people that is sensitive to the CBDs in weed. Higher concentrations can
make you sleepy.

------
stirno
Obviously not PG, but I do have an opinion so here we go.. ;)

It entirely depends on the image you're looking to present for yourself. If
you are comfortable with being a smoker and people judging you and your
company by that, then by all means continue.

There are some that will judge you poorly in any circle but a majority likely
will not care.

My only advice is don't look to others/the culture to justify a behavior. In
the end it has to be your decision and you have to own it. I think most people
would be surprised by the number of their peers who have made this choice.

------
orasis
Your crutch is not an asset.

~~~
bdcravens
Ditto on reliance on caffeine.

~~~
thenerdfiles
Ditto on reliance on food.

~~~
thenerdfiles
To be clear, I am not being facetious. If you want to throw around cut-throat,
myopic terms like "crutch", then let me first note that caffeine is a
performance-enhancing nootropic; and I've worked with a developer who never
once ate lunch in my 6 months working along side him. I personally eat lunch
maybe once a week.

And honestly, I smirk at people who do eat lunch. And it goes without saying
what I think of leisure-lunchers.

~~~
ShirtlessRod
Why would you smirk at people who eat lunch?

~~~
thenerdfiles
Well, I wanted to give a "frank" tit for tat, to anyone who might argue this
"crutch" position.

I personally enjoy the pain of hunger as I code. That's why. I smirk in that I
more fully realize my difference from others when I know they clearly do not
enjoy that pain. I'm surely not saying it makes me better or smarter. I smirk
in that I, in a way, come to know myself better: that I enjoy the pain of
hunger, and what it looks like of others who do not, given the context.

~~~
thenerdfiles
Hm. I suppose that said it doesn't "go without saying." I'll recant there and
say that I think leisure-lunching is, in my view, a kind of "crutch."
Nourishment is essential, leisure is not.

------
chatmasta
If you think it helps you, do it. As a startup founder, you should have enough
critical thinking ability and confidence in yourself to know what works for
you and what does not. However, I see no reason to be open about it,
especially to investors. No investor is going to say "he smokes weed,
therefore his company has a higher chance of being successful."

So smoke if you want to, but keep your mouth shut when talking to people with
money.

This is a pretty good life rule.

------
PavlovsCat
When I was 17, after a good night's sleep and a good breakfast, I smoked two
bowls and then went to do an intelligence test (a real one with supervision,
which took several hours to do).. scored 142 out of 145 possible for that
test, during which I finished a set of 50 logic puzzles which wasn't really
intended to be finished (the idea was how far you get in 5 minutes). I never
dared to take another test since then, there is no way that is my actual IQ; I
had a good day and was "in the zone".

But I also tried to smoke continuously, and that did _not_ work out well for
me. I think it's like a glass of wine can be nice, but being tipsy _all_ the
time is not, not to mention being really drunk. I would say, don't spoil this
wonderful plant for yourself by abusing it (not to mention the temporary
damage you can do to yourself with it). I think it was George Carlin who said
he writes his material sober, but then smokes a joint to make the finishing
touches. I can see how that makes sense, but I don't know how much it applies
to programming. This is for you to find out, carefully.

------
lfounder
I'm a founder of a well-funded venture-backed startup. I wear many hats:
product manager, coder and growth hacker to name a few. I smoke weed every
day, sometimes multiple times per day. I have a few observations about working
while smoking.

I cannot and do not smoke when I need to interact with my employees, investors
or partners as I find it very hard to be at my sharpest wit verbally. So when
my schedule calls for that, I skip.

However, there are many other times when I find my smoking to be a secret
weapon: 1) There is zero question that I'm at my most creative when smoking.
Sometimes a solution to a product or marketing challenge seems hopeless. In
that instance, a smoke seems to unfog the mind and ideas that I never had
sober just jump into my head. Good ideas. Ideas so good that if anyone around
me knew how I came up with them, they'd probably be shocked. 2) Coding - A
smoke will focus me for hours on coding. Sometimes I have a smoke, start
coding and what feels like a blink of the eye is 3 hours of the most
productive coding I'll have all day. It's false to think that the code is of
poor quality, quite the opposite. I find that the mental model sustained in my
head while coding becomes even more clear - it's like instead of just
visualizing the model, it's like I'm inside it.

Some commentors have complained that they become lethargic or foggy. I'm sure
that individuals react differently, but what I've found is that Indica strains
should be avoided - they tend to have that effect on almost anyone. But a
high-quality Sativa makes me alert, creative and highly motivated.

Look, everyone is different. What works for me may not work for you. But I
wouldn't shy away from it if you think it helps you. Just keep it to yourself
and those that you trust and let everyone else judge you by your results.

~~~
snoop_a_loop
Thanks, great reply.

------
blunt_dev
(throwaway)

Hi. I'm a software developer that smokes multiple times daily even as I work
(remotely).

Started smoking weed semi-regularly when I was 15. It helps me get over
certain anxiety issues. Never really kicked the habit, but I never really felt
like I wanted to except to pass a drug test.

It was a little harder to find a job after college. I have quit for small
periods of time while looking for a job. But my clients and I are happy. Isn't
that what really matters?

On being a public face: Are you setting up your company's culture and image?
It's up to you to decide if the risk of fallout is greater than smoking your
nugs IF the public finds out.

On being an amazing hacker: Maybe. I'm not old enough to have put in my ten
years or 10k hours for 'expert' status as a software engineer yet. I do not
consider myself to be a 10x (engineer), but I'm definitely not a 1x either.

Background: B.S. in EE/CmpE, software engineer (Rails primarily right now) and
sysadmin

------
void0
I smoke every day medically as it helps with managing the daily nausea,
vomiting, and cramping pain that my IBS presents me. I am very young for most
software engineers in my field, and I work at a startup that was recently
funded. Before I started smoking daily, I was missing loads of work because of
pain. Now, I wake up early every morning to smoke so that I can actually
function. Marijuana has not improved my skills as a hacker, but it has enabled
me to spend more of my life doing what I'd like to be (programming) instead of
dealing with a disease. I can vouch for the therapeutic effects of the drug
too, and I know that for some people it is what they need to get things done.
In moderate amounts, I don't know how it is fair to say that drugs like Prozac
and Riddlin are acceptable for the workplace any more than pot.

------
goatriver42
For a great bit on the benefits of rec use of weed, YouTube "Joe Rogan on
smoking weed". By far the best take on the modern advocate.

My personal take is that its both a tool for self examination and insight, yet
also promotes play. Used with good intention it can be super powerful in
getting your shit together and loosening up too. Used as a distraction it's no
different than needlessly checking social media, watching too much porn,
lottery tickets or cheeseburgers.

If you haven't smoked in 5, 10 years. Try it again with a close friend and go
baked to the movies, go eat somewhere awesome, and go back to the house and
watch that pink Floyd DVD. Post your trip report in the comments. :)

------
jmcgough
I don't use anything except coffee, but I know some extremely talented coders
who smoke (outside of work) to help with stress/anxiety/focus. It's probably
something you have to evaluate for yourself, as it affects everyone
differently. If it's helpful to you and improves productivity, I don't think
there's anything wrong with it as long as the benefits outweigh the negatives.
Maybe try tweaking how much or how frequent you smoke to see if you can reduce
the side effects.

Btw, I've known founders who smoke. The only people who might care in SF are
more conservative VCs etc.

------
pizza
I don't have a problem with it (when I finish school I'll probably do that
too). But it is a crutch. That said, feel free to use it until you feel like
you no longer need to (or if it becomes counter-productive), just like a real
crutch. Same applies to caffeine, adderall, cocaine, opiates, sugar, anything.
If it gets to the point that you need help (fairly uncommon with pot, but it
still happens), don't hesitate to get any.

Responsible drug use includes knowing how people respond to drugs, and knowing
how you respond differently than other people to drugs...

------
fredflintstone
Believe that your high can come from coding stone cold sober. I can get so
freakin high from rockin on some awesome shit. I'm poppin tictacs wih
spearmint gum. Last I checked? (never) they don't cause short term mem-loss...
As for start up stress - that's part of the gig you pay for trying to make a
go of it. You need both of these to get through it: Fucking good friends
and/or employees who have your back & seriously long term vision. Believe in
what you're doing and you will succeed.

------
datphp
"Problems just become simpler"... here is my story about that!

I've smoked ever since I was 14. Most of the time about once a week, at times
not smoking for a year, and sometimes all day for months.

Smoking very frequently has a negative effect on me when it comes to business.
I have more trouble finding motivation and caring, I am less in control of
myself and get along less easily with people.. I become a feral hacker pretty
fast.

On the other hand, I find a lot of benefits in smoking occasionally.

It seems pot disconnects you from your "hard-drive". You have problems pulling
data that is otherwise readily available, and much that happens when you smoke
doesn't seem to get stored at all.

So what's the advantage? Well, it doesn't seem to affect what's in your "RAM".
You're like a super AI with a completely fresh storage and barely any data.
Now data in most cases is useful, specially when you're trying to reproduce
things that worked previously. When you hit a wall though, it can become a
burden.

Most of you probably remember the sentence "You must unlearn what you have
learned"! Except in this case, you lose factual data, but not cognitive
processes. You certainly won't suddenly be able to levitate, but it's amazing
what the brain can come up with when you lose track of all the common
practices.

I've done a year of math prep in one of EU's hardest universities, and it was
amazingly hard. Trying to solve any of the problems while high would lead to a
ton of execution mistakes (copying stuff wrong, losing track of what you were
doing etc), and was generally bad. Being slightly high for a test would cut my
grade in half.

On the other hand, on many occasions, I spent a couple hours attempting to
solve something from any possible angle and failed, like solving a rubik's
cube and always coming back to the same configuration. Then at some point,
later in the day or week, I'd think about that problem again while being high,
and have my mind elegantly walk through the complexity of it and see the
solution.

I spoke about it with people at that school who smoked, and most of those who
were naturals at math seemed to have had the same experience. Ever since, I've
had it happen to me on many occasions about different implementation/design
challenges. I've worked with other people who were occasional smokers, and
sometimes when failing to solve problems (more policical / vision related than
technical), mention them again when we were high, and have extremely
interesting things come up.

Obviously you want to review / implement / apply those new ideas when you're
sober, because you need to run them through your experience and memory
extensively, but weed can be a great source when you need an alternate angle
of approach.

------
bdcravens
_The culture of San Francisco also is heavily accepting, even promoting of
smoking marijuana._

Your startup is in SF, so this is probably relevant, but there's absolutely
nothing that requires a startup to be in SF. It can be in Austin, Brussels,
Sydney, Fargo, or Bangalore. If you feel that local culture acceptance is a
reason for, then you've already answered the question if you start up in a
locale where it isn't.

------
snoop_a_loop
So retarded, seems my post got flagged. Mysterious dropped from the front page
to page 3. Not sure why, there is some great discussion and feedback here. My
biggest complaint about HN is that its not a true democracy, there are a few
with god powers that influence all the content.

~~~
andrewcooke
it's not mysterious at all, it's the "controversial" filter - it got more
comments than votes.

------
pokesmot
I can't wait for people to come out of the closet on this issue. It's just
like gay people. Ask anyone from CO or WA how many people have come out as
private pot smokers.

Can't wait for uninformed and inexperienced judgement that will be raining
down in this thread. A bunch of people saying a bunch of ridiculous things
that they'd never say if they knew how many people smoked around them and
don't tell them. Same _exact_ scenario as homosexuality. And I say this as
someone who faces far more stigma as a smoker than I do as a gay guy. Which is
ironic, because it's same conversation "Oh you're gay? You smoke pot? Would
have never known!" ... Duh.

/me gets popcorn. Hey this registering one-off troll accounts for new threads
is kinda fun! Glad it still is encouraged.

~~~
ytdtty
You sound hysterical.

~~~
nested
How so?

------
fleitz
The OP is asking about 8 different questions...

Lets unpack some of them...

Will VCs be more likely to invest if they know you're a pot smoker? Unless
they are also a pot smoker probably not. Pot is associated laziness.

Will VCs be more likely to invest in your crazy idea you had while high? If
they don't know you had it while smoking pot then probably.

Is smoking pot good for writing bug free boiler plate code? Not in my
experience.

Is smoking pot good for making revolutionary breakthoughs by approaching the
problem from a new angle? Possibly.

Can you endear great engineers who smoke pot by having a 420 friendly culture?
Most definitely.

Realistically, if you want to smoke pot then smoke pot. Your startup is a
lottery ticket, smoking pot doesn't change the odds in any significant way.
The asking for permission attitude seems more detrimental than pot smoking
ever could be.

