Scott Weiss
scott.a16z.com · Personal blog · on HN since 2011
Scott Weiss, a startup founder and investor at a16z, writes about running companies, acquisitions, and recovering from crises.
What HN saysHN commenters link his "We're Fucked, It's Over" post and debate his startup advice, including what "crack the egg with a sledgehammer" means.
19HN people shared it
3linked it in comments
22stories submitted
861story points
11 years agolast shared
2011people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Success at Work, Failure at Home3 people · 363 points · first shared 2014 · 165 comments on HN
- 2We’re Fucked, It’s Over: Coming Back from the Brink2 people · 351 points · first shared 2014 · 112 comments on HN
- 3The “I just got bought by a big company” survival guide2 people · 106 points · first shared 2013 · 34 comments on HN
- 4Harvey Keitel, CEO2 people · 4 points · first shared 2014 · discussion on HN
- 5Looking Bigger // Scott Weiss2 people · 4 points · first shared 2011 · discussion on HN
- 6Steve Jobs, Superhero2 people · 4 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 7The building is the new server1 people · 5 points · first shared 2013 · discussion on HN
- 8The CEO’s Weekly Checklist1 people · 5 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 9How would you start a PayPal or rebuild Visa today? // Scott Weiss1 people · 3 points · first shared 2013 · discussion on HN
- 10Treating the Dysfunctional CEO1 people · 3 points · first shared 2011 · discussion on HN
- 11Hiring Rockstars1 people · 2 points · first shared 2011 · discussion on HN
- 12The Path To Starting A Startup1 people · 2 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 13A Clarification and an Apology1 people · 2 points · first shared 2013 · discussion on HN
- 14Guerilla Recruiting: Combating the Counteroffer1 people · 2 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 15Rehabilitating the Arrogant Engineer1 people · 2 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
resu_nimda · 2014-03-25
I don't understand the meaning of "crack the egg with a sledgehammer." I would think it means "to use way more force than is necessary," but the context is more along the lines of "get the problem solved at all costs."
I also followed the link to the other article where that phrase is used[1], and found something a bit concerning: "Nawaf moved the entire engineering team over to work on it. He called them all in to work nights and weekends until it was fixed, [...] Nawaf saved our bacon."
Umm, what about those engineers? I'll give the benefit of the doubt that they were rewarded appropriately, but the wording here seems to almost deliberately stoke the developers vs. management flames, especially coming from a VC...
[1] http://scott.a16z.com/2014/02/03/harvey-keitel-ceo/
tbrooks · 2015-03-13
phillmv · 2014-04-09
Data is tricky in these situations.
I doubt anyone collects statistics on acquihires let alone "girlfriends or wives who help out in startups but don't get paid for it", or "HR people who got shafted with useless stock options".
(Female developers being somewhat underpaid is a common enough trope, though)
So, we're left with anecdotes. "Unpaid female work" is an common theme. You've got the MVC article linked above or say this one here http://modelviewculture.com/pieces/ceo-archetypes-7-joan-of-arc and I'm reminded of Scott Weiss' post on the disruption his personal life suffered due to this startup ( http://scott.a16z.com/2014/01/17/success-at-work-failure-at-home/ ) and tucked away in there is a bit where his Harvard MBA wife had to stay at home to look after the kids.