
Ask HN: Company Doing 6 Month Crunch - throwaway32452
Last week during the company update our CEO told everyone that we need to work early, stay late, and tell our families to support us while we work overtime to make the company look strong enough to raise another round of funding or we&#x27;ll be forced to sell the company.<p>I work at a well known startup company in the valley that needs to raise a series c round in the next year.<p>I&#x27;ve been working here for several years and have a good amount of equity as an early engineer, so I don&#x27;t want to leave necessarily, but at the same time I&#x27;m 100% put off by being forced into working crazy hours for half a year with no real end in sight.<p>Does it sound like I should start looking for a new job at this point based on your past experiences? My gut is telling me yes, but I don&#x27;t want to trust it =&#x2F;
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petervandijck
Let's see, a few questions:

1\. How much equity has already vested, in USD: 1. 10K-ish, 2. 100K-ish, 3. 1M
K-ish+.

2\. How many years away would an exit be where your equity would be worth
something? 1. 1-2y, 2. 3-5y, 3. 5-10y

3\. How good a view do you have on the company's current state and in how much
trouble it is? 1. Little, they don't tell us much, 2. Quite a bit, they keep
us well informed including runway, 3. Lots, I'm involved in the top executive
meetings where we discuss this.

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throwaway32452
1\. We have options. I have vested quite a few. It would cost a lot of money
to exercise them (~50k). 2\. If I had to guess: 3-5 years. 3\. They are semi-
transparent. They give us runway info, and a general sense for things, but not
specifics.

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endswapper
Always listen to your gut.

Understand your own boundaries, and when you confidently believe they are
rational, communicate them and practice them.

A half a year doesn't seem like long, and I wouldn't expect "a good amount of
equity," (that actually pays off) without working crazy hours.

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RandomOpinion
It boils down a simple question: what is your health worth to you? Make no
mistake, extended crunch will take a toll on your body and mind and put
considerable strain any relationships you may have.

What good will your equity do you if you're ill or burnt out?

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cauterized
6 months is not a crunch. It's a death march. Are you sure you want to be
there? I would get off the sinking ship before it ruins your health - physical
or mental.

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shivakaush
> to make the company look strong enough

This make the company look like it has weak leadership and is clawing for
scraps. A strong company would switch to 4 hr days and still survive...

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davidgerard
Nobody can produce for six months at twelve hours a day. That's why we have an
eight hour day. They have no idea what they're doing.

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minsight
"a good amount of equity", apparently worthless without working like a slave.
I'd leave.

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chatmasta
Are they going to pay you overtime?

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throwaway32452
No. Everyone is on salary.

