I can't really see a business case where these guys would make a profit before their billionaire club gets bored. I don't think images from hundreds of little cameras are going to be equal the image from the Hubble or its replacement, the Webb. I hope these guys won't be another Iridium.
Take more interesting classes (Evil & Decadence in Literature), less classes that I thought would help my career (Management in Engineering).
Hang out with more people who are interesting. Spend less time with people who are just fun w/o much substance. Don't waste effort on being friends with assholes because they seem cool.
Don't fall behind coursework.
Waste less time with stuff I cannot really remember: watching sports, TV, lectures by professors who cannot teach, video games, ...
Do not hire as employee. The collective cost of dealing with the annoyance will far outweigh the geek's contribution.
However, consider hiring him as an on-call "consultant" for "special projects" in case the team falls behind schedule. It might motivate them to get ahead. :)
I am really grateful that I had great friends who were able to notice when I was totally burning out.
They talked me into taking some time off to go on a road trip with them and pulled me out of a dark and ugly hole. I had to deal with the wrath of the boss when I returned, but getting out of the hole gave me the right perspective to look for something much better. I was out of there within a few weeks.
Cheers to great friends! And, please don't forget to be one.
My personal experience is that about 20% of bosses (I'm including my boss's bosses) were so often out of line that there were employees hoping to meet these guys in a dark alley. 70% of my bosses were varying degrees of competence/incompetence. And, only about 10% were respected and liked.
This isn't going to win the Loebner Prize..., but it strangely reminded me of a VERY similar conversation with somebody that looked like a real person. The other co-workers always joked about that person being a space alien or a robot.
if you're having a crisis, i suggest you really try something else. you will either:
(1) love the new thing
(2) realize how much the new thing sucks compared to the old thing and rekindle the love with the old
(3) realize how much both suck and try something else.
one of my old mentors told me that the job i was loving as a fresh out will suck at some point, but to suck it up and do it because you get paid to have fun outside of work. i haven't regretted cutting any of these safety lines to do new things that make work (majority of how you spend your waking time) enjoyable ...
(1) How easy will it be for the startup to find your replacement? If they can they list a position on Craigslist and get a bunch of qualified candidates at $80/hr, that will likely be the compensation.
(2) What is your opportunity cost? If you can get easily get a contract developer job for $125/hr, that is what you "should" be paid.
In the example scenario, a smart startup will try to get somebody with $125/hr talent at $80/hr. The cheapest way to bridge this is by stroking your ego and offering you BS title like "CTO". WTF is a contractor CTO? They will probably not let you attend "real" executive team meetings and vote on important decisions.
My suggestion:
(1) Let them know that your time is wort $125/hr. and you'd take $50/hr in stock (and CTO title). It becomes a good deal for both of you.
(2) Work smart and work hard. Make them offer you a great compensation package to be the permanent CTO.
TripDibs was founded 3 guys who have known each other for a long time. We were hoping to get some guidance via YC program, but we didn't even make the interview cut. Through the process, however, I've learned to respect the feedback from Hacker News.
Please take a look and comment on our site. Thanks!
Maybe the military is funding them: http://www.darpa.mil/Our_Work/TTO/Programs/Space_Enabled_Eff...