Considerations when joining an early (seed stage) startup

Tbh i think politics can be really huge in super early stage startups. Theres a lot of power in very few people and so disagreements can have rlly bad outcomes. In big tech if ppl disagree a project just never comes to life

In startups if people strongly disagree then the entire startup blows apart (I've seen this happen). A lot of startups the founders want to keep control and want things their way (even if its a terrible way)

I also think its super risky not because of funding, but at the end of the day the founders drive everything, so you need to have a lot of conviction in the founders. I think startups dissolve not just bc of funding but if they are not growing rapidly enough, or if the founders disagree. Also do make sure the product is good. Having a good market, a good product, a good team all super important. It doesnt matter if the founders are Ex-openai staff eng cracked guys if the product is running an uphill battle

I agree with Thoughtful Tarodactyl -- the earlier the startup, the more you need to believe in the founders. In particular, do they have a track record of success? Have they built something successful in the past?

I highly recommend this article from Posthog about key questions you should ask: https://posthog.com/founders/what-to-ask-in-interviews

James shared this when I chatted with him: The Really Important Job Interview Questions Engineers Should Ask (But Don't)

It sounds like there are not too many business metrics you can go off yet (the funding is more based on team + narrative?), but here's a thread if there are metrics you can get: Questions to ask hypergrowth startups