Since 1984, with the exception of my stints as “working class hero” (truck driver, construction laborer, warehouseman, etc), I’ve worked exclusively for startups or quasi-startups.
By quasi startup I mean Sun Microsystems, which during my nine years there grew to be a major worldwide corporation. When I joined Sun in 1986 it was about 3 years old, not a public company, and had fewer than 1,000 employees. Every other tech company I’ve worked up has been brand new, including two (one in California, one in Massachusetts) that were literally situated in converted garages, just like the archetypal Silicon Valley startups (Hewlett Packard, Apple, etc). Some of these companies limp along to this day, walking-dead style; most of them are long-since out of business, and one has been a spectacular success — financially, anyway. (But not for me. I was fired a few months before they were acquired by MicroSoft. . .) I also have been a part-time starving artist since 1999 — I’ve self-published four novels/novellas and have a few more in the works. From my perspective, being an early employee at a tech startup and being a self-publishing novelist are two sides of the same coin. jrs > On Aug 9, 2016, at 3:42 AM, Saritha Rai <[email protected]> wrote: > > I think failed startup founder/entrepreneur is a badge of honor. Failing at > a startup should accord the person bragging rights for life. I am a > failed-to-be entrepreneur so the highest respect for those who tried. > > No clue about struggling actors. > > Saritha Rai > > -----Original Message----- > From: silklist [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of Rajesh Mehar > Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2016 12:55 PM > To: Silk List > Subject: Re: [silk] The Deadpool List > > How does the failed startup/founder/entrepreneur compare to the struggling > actor in terms of identity and representation i wonder... > >
