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Comment by compay | Hacker News Reader

It's a shame so many of the comments here are criticizing this guy for not lying more.

Witholding the truth isn't lying.

True. Good point.

This is an attitude I've never agreed with. Say you're an investor. Would you rather this CEO put on an I-know-what-I'm-doing face, and imply that he's got this all under control? Or would you rather he be upfront about his lack of experience but determination to get it right by learning and surrounding himself with smart people that can help him? Maybe he fails, maybe he doesn't. At least you know what you're getting into.

Dishonesty is dishonesty no matter how you cut it.

If I'd be investor, I'd prefer my CEO tell the truth in my face, not in the blog post for the rest of the world to see.

Are you an investor?

> Would you rather this CEO put on an I-know-what-I'm-doing face, and imply that he's got this all under control?

Up front in my office or up front in a public blog? I certainly wouldn't want him scaring off potential deals with over-the-top candor.

> Dishonesty is dishonesty no matter how you cut it.

This is a ridiculous assertion. If you walk around saying every true thing that comes into your mind at best you'll be treated like you have Tourette's, and at worst you'll be a complete pariah. Honesty and integrity tend to fall in the "know it when you see it" camp for most people, but the criteria are far from black and white.

You lie for PR. This blog post seems to be great PR, going for an honest approach to the realities and approaches of heading up a company. What potential deals is he scaring off? Instead a group of intelligent individuals are now exposed to not only him, his integrity, and his product. I had never heard of svpply before today.

I call that a PR win.

> If you walk around saying every true thing that comes into your mind at best you'll be treated like you have Tourette's, and at worst you'll be a complete pariah.

Actually, this guy seems to have done pretty well that way: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Blanton

You're reading a comment I didn't write. I was replying to "Withholding the truth isn't lying." Telling the truth in the privacy of your office isn't withholding the truth. How public you should be about this sort of thing is debatable (which is what most of the discussion here was), but I wasn't speaking to that. F_J_H articulated my point a little more clearly.

Intentionally/knowingly leaving someone with the wrong impression is dishonest however...

Yes, that dress does make you look fat. And you are getting fatter anyways so why worry about which dress to get? Besides, people are more likely to notice the wrinkles around your eyes or your sagging boobs than they will an extra ten pounds. Oh now they'll definitely notice all that running mascara... it makes your face look awful.

Sure it is, it's called a "lie by omission." Whether this matters in a given situation is determined by the person's ethics.

You don't have to lie, but MUST know when to shut the hell up.

To quote Atmosphere:

"Now, when you come to apply for a job Don't tell 'em you're homeless 'Cause I promise they won't hire you And if they like your songs Just nod your head and play along Never tell 'em what inspires you I bet my fans know me better than my friends do Because my friends don't pay that much attention The fans memorize every single sentence Which makes them far too smart to ever start a friendship I need to start writing pieces about other people's problems 'Cause strangers are starting to get worried I'm in a hurry to try to slow the system down a bit And find happiness before I hit thirty"

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