> As for not liking the people you work with: there is NO group of 20 or more without someone you hate. Unless you're more bland and agreeable than most HN'ers.
I appreciate where this is coming from, but I'm not entirely sure I agree.
Startups with healthy culture (for their size) will be tight-knit. I'm not arguing that everyone in such a group will be equally close to each other, but more likely that there will be people who you're just not as close to, but that's not the same as hating them.
As companies grow, they need to adopt more formal cultures, precisely because the headcount no longer supports only hiring people you naturally get along with and you need a way to smooth over the differences between people who don't get along with each other so that they can still work together as professionals. In this case, you don't have to like the person as a holistic whole (which is hidden from you because formality), just their work, which is a far more realistic expectation of the people you work with.
I've worked for two startups. Having a tight-knit culture was essential to the success of both of them. If you're not willing to bleed for your teammates, go work for a BigCo. The notion that people would have needed or benefited from private offices in either place was laughable.
I appreciate where this is coming from, but I'm not entirely sure I agree.
Startups with healthy culture (for their size) will be tight-knit. I'm not arguing that everyone in such a group will be equally close to each other, but more likely that there will be people who you're just not as close to, but that's not the same as hating them.
As companies grow, they need to adopt more formal cultures, precisely because the headcount no longer supports only hiring people you naturally get along with and you need a way to smooth over the differences between people who don't get along with each other so that they can still work together as professionals. In this case, you don't have to like the person as a holistic whole (which is hidden from you because formality), just their work, which is a far more realistic expectation of the people you work with.