How I Got Exploited at My First Startup

Summary

Being exploited by a startup is almost a rite of passage. I don’t think I can even call this a cautionary tale, because of what I took out of the experience.Subscribe to Jacob’s Tech Tavern for free to get ludicrously in-depth articles on iOS, Swift, tech, & indie projects in your inbox every week.Full subscribers unlock Quick Hacks, my advanced tips series, and enjoy my long-form articles 3 weeks before anyone else.Gather ‘round, friends. This one has been a long time coming. Grab a beer, we’ve got time 🍺. This is a cautionary tale—one which left me scarred, jaded, and wiser. I hope that by reading this story, I can protect some of you from 11 months of pain.The year was 2019.My migration from academic overachiever to professional underachiever was an overwhelming success, as a slightly under-levelled junior at a big consultancy shop. But I couldn’t shake the feeling I was destined for great things.I was engulfed by the daydreams many 24-year-olds experience when they stop being described as “precocious” and start spending their commutes listening to billionaires on podcasts. As my parasocial relationships to Peter Thiel and Reid Hoffman took hold, I was pretty sure I could become the next Jeff Bezos, or at least the next Drew Houston—I just had to execute well. The chance of a lifetime fell into my inbox through a friend of a friend of a friend. I was put in touch with Jimmy, the cofounder & Chief Financial Officer of a startup. His team was on the lookout for someone that knew mobile apps, to advise their startup and put out a few fires. Involvement with a Startup.In an Advisory Capacity. If my weeks of tech consultancy training, and several years in mobile development, had prepared me for anything: it was this.The venture was operating in stealth mode (if you don’t count the website), so Jimmy was cagey with the details until our initial call. I understood—as (probably) the next Zuckerberg, you need to be careful with your ideas around me.We got on great. I brie...