Ask HN: What is wrong with my boss?
My boss (CEO of 5-person startup) has convinced the board that he doesn't need to work full-time on our startup. He got himself a day-job, shows up to our office for 1hr a day, at an unspecified time in the evening, and expects us to be there waiting for him. Unfortunately this means we cant use public transportation as there are no late options. So we're spending a fortune on cars. Worse, we do not think there is a future for this company, especially as the CEO isn't hustling.
When complaining, he says, "if you don't like it, just quit." Nice, easy to say, except we just quit our previous job, moved cities, and it is not so easy to just find another job.
When asking about upcoming sales, instead of answering the question directly, he just provides vague tangential answers "we're integrating with XYZ company, it is the biggest ABC in DEF."
What do I do? Would it be unethical to even the scales...perhaps we could all get day-jobs which we work on during work hours?
16 comments
[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 46.6 ms ] threadYou'll probably want to cover your ass at least, and not be too obvious about it. But bottom line, you owe nothing to them by this point -- and you owe it to yourself to find yourself a better future, as soon as you possibly can.
Good luck.
You might want to consult a lawyer to find out if this kind of contract is legal or enforceable in your state.
He's not only firmly placed himself into asshole territory, with that statement -- he's given you as clear a hint as he can possibly give that he doesn't believe the company has any future, either -- and is essentially trudging on in "zombie mode" for a few more weeks (or at most months). Until it is either acquired or dissolved.
That said -- and being short on time as I write this: if (as I'm suspecting is most likely the case) financial constraints prevent you from simply walking out the door (even before finding another job), then you can at least look into the contract as to whether you are required to be be on the premises "as directed by the company", or are required to work more than the usual 40 hours a week, or similar language.
If not -- the you have every right to tell this guy that it's simply not in your contract to work that many hours, or to be in the office that late.
But tread carefully please, and definitely consult a lawyer before deciding on any course of action.
How is that an option if "Just quit and get a different job" isn't?
2. We moved to this new city, need to wait until June when school year is over.
3. We are in a small city, so interviewing is difficult, may not be able to get a job until i move to a sizeable city like SF or Austin or NY and start interviewing/networking on the ground.
In short. F that place, your "leader" is clearly not one.
You can consider it like a sabbatical. Spend your months "training" yourself. Rewrite the code in a new language. Refactor the existing code and optimize it. You're still doing work.
It sounds like you have an open playground and even get paid on the side.