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Comment by fairity | Hacker News Reader

> I’m not against hustle, but when the hustle becomes an end in-and-of-itself, rather than a means to an end, that is alarming.

Is it possible to hustle all the time & not burn out? Yes, but it takes a special type of person who values the hustle, in and of itself, which is rare.

It's important to realize that there's no right or wrong with what you choose to value.

And, as an employee, changing your org's values is probably an impossible task.

Instead, get clear on what your values are. Then, find an environment where you're surrounded with people who share your values. You'll be much happier.

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> Instead, get clear on what your values are. Then, find an environment where you're surrounded with people who share your values. You'll be much happier.

This is a nice thought in theory but if your values include something along the lines of "treat people like they have families and lives and don't use them like a resource until they burn out", that eliminates a surprisingly large number of companies.

Having worked at a few big tech companies at different stages in their lifecycle, I think I'm starting to see where the sweet spots for joining are where they are more likely to align with the ways I want to work (if not all of my values). Equally I'm also starting to learn when it's time to jump from the ship.

Would you mind sharing your insights re sweet spots and when it’s time to jump? Thanks!

For me the sweet spots for joining are are:

* inception: this is any point at which the whole company can fit around a board room table. The environment is intimate and people are passionate and engaged. * Post-IPO: as in, immediately post-IPO. This is the calm after the storm as, immediately pre-IPO, there will be a focus on pure profit and growth of value without growth of business, which means a lot of crunch and a lot of burnout. This does mean likely not getting the kind of stock offering that they might have given previously.

For jumping ship:

* Pre and/or post merger: mergers are horrible and lead to similar behaviours as IPO but with headcount reductions, culture clashes, and lots of wife reaching decisions without consultation. You'll also see an exodus of colleagues at both ends. * Pre-IPO: if you've already banked your shares, don't stay to tighten the purse strings and burn out, similar to my comments on post-IPO.

A tl;dr would be: I like working at a company when the focus is on growth rather than profits because that's when people are working most to create new things and please customers.

> Instead, get clear on what your values are. Then, find an environment where you're surrounded with people who share your values.

This cannot be overstated.

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