Ask HN: Covid Burnout – Quit FAANG to found a startup?

9 points by throwaway8829 5 years ago | 24 comments

I've worked at FAANG for 4 years as product designer. I was getting a bit burned out, but COVID wfh took all the remaining fun out of my work. I feel like I can't spend another day on Zoom calls in my role.

Should I quit my FAANG job to try and start a startup? Part of me thinks that it'll be fun and motivating. The other part thinks the grass is just greener, especially since I have no idea what I want to start.

Feeling a bit lost. Anyone else in this position?

cloudking 5 years ago |

Surprised most of the comments here are risk adverse, you won't know if you don't take the risk. If you do decide to quit, plan out how long you can survive off your savings and give yourself a chunk of that time to get a business running that sustains you. If you don't make it in that time, you can get back into the workforce or freelance with your experience.

Having an idea helps, but be wary of working on ideas on the side, you likely have signed an invention assignment agreement with your employer.

treis 5 years ago | |

I think the issue is how it's phrased. OP said, effectively, I don't like my job, should I do a start up? Which is a terrible starting point for a business. If they said something like "I've got this great idea" then people would tell them to go for it.

There's this weird idea out there that Start Up is a job or company in itself. But it's not. Sure, companies will pivot and opportunities can come out of seemingly nowhere. That doesn't mean you just start something without a reasonable belief that it will work.

muzani 5 years ago | |

HN has one of the most risk averse communities, which is surprising for one started by a VC. Questions like this are going to get biased answers.

yellow_lead 5 years ago |

Quitting without a complete idea of what you'll do is typically a poor idea. Many recommend taking a stab on nights and weekends first at least. You could use some PTO to simulate it too.

ultrasounder 5 years ago |

Not from FAANG, but based in the Bay Area and been working at Tier2/3 companies for a few years now. Initially was going to pivot to LC->FAANGMULATAD. Even had Google remote interview setup. That was BC(Before COVID). AC(After Covid), I dropped it like its hot to focus on personal development and clear my mind. And now that I am clear on what I really want with my life, I am doing some Idea validation/ Invalidation in my spare time(WFH). I am not 100% WFH due to work constraints but certain days of the week I get the entire day to myself. So working and refining my idea and learning Laravel/Alpine/Tailwind/Livewire to launch my MVP. BUT, I know the MVP is at least 6 months away involving days of customer development. I am not even talking about launching a moonshot, but a B2B SAAS that I can start selling from day one. Scratching your own itch, IMHO is a bad idea. You need to solve someone else's need or want. The only way to do that if You are in FAANG is befriend someone , an outsider who is exposed to other non-faang problems. Do You want something in B2C, then ask around and see what consistent problems your friends have? If You want to do B2B, then look in Your LinkedIn circle and find out people in Your network who are non-faang and see what task could be automated for them, saving them time and getting them a raise. Or you could try and run a FB Ad campaign(there was a thread on that a few weeks ago), where a FB PM ran Ads to validate his Virtual Workout idea. Again its Your idea and not guaranteed to get traction. Lastly, don't quit Your day job to start something. Again, if You go through the idea generation/validation process as an "Indiehacker", takes months. Better be prepared for a lot of "busy" days of absolutely doing nothing in the initial phases while You hit PMF(Product Market Fit) and having a job provides that launchpad and motivation. Feel free to email me at vsap78 at gmail email service.

RemingtonLak 5 years ago |

I was in your exact position including having worked at a FAANG last Oct. In Silicon Valley still, I quit before the pandemic to be a fulltime dad to a newborn, thinking after about a yr I can go back and find something. ack. then the pandemic hit. Now...I'm contemplating your exact situation of starting something.

I have too many ideas, all great, but seem to lack focus and motivation although running out of money should be enough....but aint?

I guess "startup" isn't what I'm after per se but more of some simple very vertical SaaS I could code up myself like time sheets, scheduling, proj mgmt, journaling etc.. why? I can't deal with deal people/employees at the moment for many obvious reasons. I should be able to create something where I could launch and maintain myself.

I'm looking for something that is.. 1. minimal administration w/o needing a physical location 2. self servicing platform where content is user generated 3. fee based, no ads

I'm trying to get motivated by watching these adventurous people: https://www.indiehackers.com/businesses

Time is of the essences so I need to get moving on it. however, hard when I only have a 1-2hr window max a day after 10pm provided he sleeps through the night :(

My current and possibly the idea I may implement: A private social network, necessity is mother of all inventions. I'm need a way to share my kid with extended family that isn't IG/FB/Whatsapp etc.. I want something more closed, personal, grandmother tested and very private. The common denominator is it needs to work on very under powered tablets running Android 4.0.

Writing up a mini bizplan then wireframe then proto it as a PWA. No one these days uses a PC.

Hit me up for mutual motivation? lakota @ gmail

davidajackson 5 years ago |

I would test the market for your idea. Can you get people to pay for it? How many, and how many $ per customer, and how quickly? And not hypothetically, actually try to get money coming in. Then focus on that if you think it will simultaneously solve your burnout.

icedchai 5 years ago |

Startups are hard, even in good times. Take a year off.

muzani 5 years ago |

Starting a startup is sort of like having kids. It's a tremendous responsibility, not something you should do because of burnout.

You don't actually have creative freedom. Your freedom is limited to what makes money right away, or what pleases investors. If you meet an angel who wants blockchain, you better get to work on that chain.

Maybe freelancing is the way to go, or working at a startup.

But if you want to start a startup because it's on your bucket list, then go ahead. Make sure you have some runway. Recession is a great time to start companies, because a lot of really smart people will be looking for jobs, and you'll be contributing more to society by creating them.

htanirs 5 years ago |

Startups have their own way of creating burn out and since it takes a toll on finances as well, the impact is much higher. It is not all fun and motivation. Also there are non tech problems one need to solve in a startup.

IMO, avoiding burnout might not be a best motivator for starting up. Maybe moving to a startup might help you decide along with reducing zoom calls hopefully :). Also it gives time to think about what is that you want to create.

Another option is to talk to friends who started up, to understand the practical challenges.

My suggestion, take some time and decide. It is more about making an informed decision. And when we are lost, sometimes we take decisions more on hope.

throwaway8829 5 years ago |

Some added context since I'm throwaway: I've been at Google for the past 4yrs. I'm fortunate that I can join any other company I'd like. I have offers at FAANG, mid level startups, and early startups.

I founded a startup before Google, so I know what it takes. I just don't really know how to go from 0 to 1 right now. My mind is also muddled with taking time off and thinking of an idea, or if I should just take time off and come back to a new team at Google, or join a different company. But, I also feel like I'm capable of building my own future with a startup.

batt4good 5 years ago |

Honestly, if timing had been different I would've waited six months longer to take a five month hiatus prior to looking for work again.

I'm at a fantastic startup after leaving amazon and couldn't be happier about what I'm working on or the people I work with.

However, if I was facing burn-out currently and had $10-20k in my emergency fund I'd 100% just wait out covid for at least a year.

Leaving FAANG was the best thing I've done in the past 4 years, best of luck recovering and re-charging from your burn-out my friend!

ystad 5 years ago |

Yes.

You need to distinguish between burnout and working at a dead end job (Sorry to say FAANG are dead ends)

Take three months off, companies allow this. Once your burnout is reversed after a month in, you will get your answer

giantg2 5 years ago |

I wouldn't quit without an idea or plan.

I've been working in a soul crushing job for the past 4 or 5 years. I feel burnt out. Sometimes I get a brief respite when I switch to new project or team, but I quickly become disillusioned as I realize the new team/project has the same issues as the past ones. I just grit my teeth, hate my life from 8 to 4, and continue on.

I would only quit if you have a good plan or idea, or if a new job becomes available.

bonesbonesbones 5 years ago |

I'm in the same position. WFH has sucked out nearly all of my energy to contribute to my current company, and I would very much like to just focus on my own side projects & startup ideas. Since my company went 100% remote, I'm planning to move to someplace a bit more convenient, then hopefully split my time between work and personal projects.

logicslave 5 years ago |

I would make sure you actually want to start a startup and arent just looking for a way out from your boring day to day

stanley-t 5 years ago |

My suggestion is not to quit but to ask for a 3 months no-pay leave (LOA). Firstly, take care of your body and mind by taking a break. Then take the time to figure out what exactly you want to do including your startup ideas. Please note that GOOG policy on LOA may restrict on what you can work on publicly.

chris11 5 years ago |

> I founded a startup before Google

You've got more personal experience with this than I do. But I would think it's a bad idea on a personal level if COVID wfh is the main cause for your burnout. I'd find founding a startup to be more isolating that working at a company right now.

tawjob 5 years ago |

Please do not quit your job as things may become much worst and you might regret, find a side hobby, read how people tackle wfh now a days through submits here. Take some time off but not to long to build a different point of view.

natalyarostova 5 years ago |

It'll be fun and motivating for a month or two, then the real work will set in. Unless you are prepared for that, tread carefully.

tawjob 5 years ago |

Are you working for Amzn?

tawjob 5 years ago | |

Knowing company helps people to give more accurate advice especially if they know how things works over there for a specific role. Same problem in different enviroment requires different solution imo.

throwaway8829 5 years ago | | |

At Google now, but have offers at 2 other FAANG's if I want to go there for a level up.