Show HN: Made a forum for depressed founders to confide | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: Made a forum for depressed founders to confide

depressedfounders.com

52 pointsvforissi41 comments

When I was 14, I was a year into playing all weekend every weekend with my first rock band. We recorded on a 4-track. Out there, at Guitar Center, were machines that could record 8 tracks. And pedals with crazy things like digital delay. Stuff that cost more than our parents made in a week.

But you had a slim chance of being noticed and a slimmer chance of becoming a rock star. If you only worked harder AND had that piece of kit...

so went the sales pitch that was made to my generation in the 90s. You known who got famous and obscenely rich? Maroon 5. The Strokes. You know why? It wasn't their originality or their work ethic as musicians or their technical proficiency or the brilliance of their lyrics, nor their immense line of credit at Guitar Center. It was their parents paying girls from modeling agencies to go to their shows.

What's depressing about being a founder is just watching less interesting, less competent people who are psychotically good at marketing take your ideas and get rich doing crappier versions of them.

Thanks, now I feel better and don't need the site.

Does the girl from modelling agency thing not work for AI startups?

Even just the concept of an AI startup [as what that means now in the age of LLMs] is already epochs worse than anything 90s douches could dream up. But sure, paying models always helps if you're nihilistic enough to use people as props.

> paying models always helps if you're nihilistic enough to use people as prop

they’re from a modeling agency. that’s what they do.

Not to take away agency from people who choose to model, but you're saying their entire job is basically just being used anyway so fuckit?

[edit] I wasn't saying I feel specifically bad for the models in this scenario, just for society at large, average kids who are set up to believe that fake humans and fake influencers are living the lives they want so desperately.

Not to put too fine a point on it: we're all being used anyway, the big difference is the pay grade but other than that I really don't see the difference between one profession where you sell your body for $x / hour or another.

Of course we all tell ourselves that we're different/better/smarter based on the rate difference without noticing it is the exact same game and that the people on the paymaster side are the same as well.

I strongly disagree that we're all being used, let alone in the same way that models are used. For one thing, there's skilled work and unskilled work. There's pride in skill, and dignity in work. Then there are people who actually create things, with money being a secondary objective that happens automatically. Do you think construction workers or carpenters consider their use of their time and bodies more or less useful than models? Are they used in the same way? What is the general purpose of a model other than to obfuscate a sales pitch? Do sculptors or painters think they're just as used, physically, as fast food workers? I hope not.

And then, aside from those who create and those who make things sits the marketing apparatus. The rent seekers and extractors and MBAs. You might consider them the paymaster side, but I just view them as unnecessary parasites. We don't all work for them... and when we do, some of us come to unique arrangements that maintain our creative control and our dignity.

By this logic, musicians are "used" as machines to play music, cooks as machines to churn out dishes, and bus drivers just allow to use themselves as vehicle guidance computers.

Hello, this is called "work". If you think that looking impeccably good and appropriate takes no effort or no intellect, look at a mirror, and try that.

> If you think that looking impeccably good and appropriate takes no effort or no intellect, look at a mirror, and try that.

Let's not pretend it isn't 99% genes when talking about models.

what would you know

No. Now she is AI

Thanks for this, now figuring out ways to leverage attractive women in gaining traction for my startup.

Kidding aside, yep that fucking sucks. People say life is fair, hell no it isn't, a lot of other people get a better headstart haha. But hey just call it beauty of life I guess, it's the random shuffling of cards we are dealt with and I better make something good with it, I better try instead of whine.

I'm not whining, per se. That experience and several startups and many years later... I accept that the world ain't lookin for what I'm trying to do. It's looking for fast cash and quick dopamine hits. I just do projects for myself now.

Escorts.

They hire escorts

> People say life is fair

I have never heard anyone say that in my entire life. Closest might be "put in the work and with a bit of luck you will succeed" I guess.

If anything, the cliche goes "life isn't fair".

The Strokes are a very odd choice to single out as undeserving musicians...

Julian is a very palatable talented singer, their riffs are unique, and they put in the work with 6 albums, shows, and music videos.

I was about to say the same, The Strokes are/where on a different level than Maroon 5.

>Julian is a very palatable talented singer, their riffs are unique, and they put in the work with 6 albums, shows, and music videos.

Source? Or your opinion? I don't necessarily disagree with you but those are some bold (opinion) claims.

That's an interesting and depressing story. Do you have some sources about them hiring models? They are not obvious to find on the Internet

Tinder started the same way

John Casablancas, the father of Stroke's lead singer, owned Elite Model Management, one of the world's largest models agencies, if not the largest at the time. Rumors among the knowledgeable fans is that Julian used to ring up to his father agency to send "fans" at their initial shows. [1]

This without doubt influenced the decisions of venue owners to book them. Even if they were in on the ruse, who can afford to reject the well known "multiplier effect" 20-30 models would have for your venue?

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/TheStrokes/comments/j0v5gy/stumbled...

Is this anecdote true?

A bit whiny tbh. I was put off The Strokes during their day precisely because of the hype and the association with models and their apparently monied background. How could a group of people so shallow and privileged make decent music?

I was wrong.

Is This It? is one of the great soulful and original rock albums and you are denying yourself a great experience - as was I - with your suspicion and cynicism.

Well, what you describe is basically the experience of any non-US startup founder, and especially those in poor, non-OECD countries.

No matter how good your idea and flawless your execution are, there's always an American venture capitalist ready to throw $100 million at some local copycat that will hire 20x mediocre staff and will soon bury you by simply moving faster and making splashes. Meanwhile, you are trying to pitch the idea to local cash-strapped investors, and they will expect 51% stake for a 200k investment - I kid you not.

It's the way of the world, capitals compound and scale makes it easier to grow. It's has always been like that, regardless if what you call capital is family wealth and connections, access to selective educational opportunities, access to the largest national market in the world, girls from modeling agencies etc.

Re. replies.

Comparing to r/depression, their subreddit rules are so strict about replies, that the only ones you see are "I feel you." Not allowed to analyze, try to help, etc. Likely for the better.

So in practice, I think this site does with hearts what r/depression does despite replies.

I wonder if it can have the virality without interaction, though. Or will it simply end up with posts being replies with quotes. I don't know the history of r/depression, if it grew before the rules, or with the strict rules.

It feels very alone without replies. The rules make sense but this feels too impersonal.

This is very valuable, anonymous venting can bring out topics that many people wouldn’t otherwise discuss (for better or worse.)

Is there a way to reply to threads? Without replies I think you’ll see much less traction.

I've also noticed that there's no option to reply to topics.

I think this forum would be more useful and forum-like if users who have experienced similar situations can give each other advice through a reply feature.

This is good. As others mentioned replies would definitely help but even as it is it helps people see that others have gone/ are going through similar situations. Often knowing you aren't alone can help greatly.

Most people feel. feeling is an experience. Bonding through experiences can be a major connector to other people.

Though as others stated the tone of this all really is the key I think.

Hi vforissi,

The site looks like a clean implementation of a simple idea, allowing someone to acknowledge a negative event, and by expressing in words and externalising, let it go

On the below post, I wonder what your thoughts are on this kind of interpretation of depression? Does it fit with your understanding and the above method? https://fragments.themanual.io/zonal-ban/

I would suggest to replace the crying icon for a different image. It does not really help

People don't talk enough about depressed founders! That can really leads to a mental illness

Alcoholism for the win

Not really.

I question the ability of a bunch of depressed people to help each other.

Isn't that a myopic view? While sure, if someone is forever depressed they may not help others (beyond sharing their experience others may relate to). Imagine the people that are in a rough place for a period that come out the other side. I hope those types engage today and share as things change.

It can definitely be more harmful than helpful for some. If you want get bummed out, search out forums for those that were broken up with ("lost my ex"). There are many support forums for such things with people that have been active for _years_ after their breakup. At a certain point they are just ruminating on their pain.

Romantic rejection is one of the most personal and emotional things most people will experience, and having a support network is important for moving on. But something goes haywire for some people given an infinite source of "support" online - unlike with real social connections, online strangers won't tire of you discussing your breakup, so you can do it probably forever, constantly freshening the pain, and peering into everyone elses story for insight on your own...and never move on.

Because they are probably not clinically depressed but just annoyed, despondent, kicked in the balls etc. Basically this is a group of friends letting off steam.

I think if you are hanging around forums about depression, then you almost want to remain depressed.

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