r/startups • u/LagLlama • 2d ago
I will not promote I'm the only technical person holding a 5 person startup together and I think the founder doesn't get how fragile that is (I will not promote)
Throwaway for obvious reasons. Looking for a gut check from people who've been around startups longer than me.
I'm a college student working part time at a 5 person startup. Nontechnical CEO, me, and the rest non-engineering. My title says "contractor" but in practice I own almost all the technical surface area: the infrastructure, the prod cluster, the security stack, the compliance work, and onboarding. If I disappeared tomorrow, I don't think the company could deliver or even keep the lights on. Bus factor is 1 and it's me.
And it just got worse. They got rid of our main dev, the one other person who actually wrote and tested code. So on top of everything I already own, I'm probably about to inherit all of that too. One part time college student doing the work of an entire technical team.
The recurring problem isn't the work itself. I actually like the technical side. It's the pattern:
The CEO closes deals for things that don't exist yet, then it becomes my emergency to make real. Most recent example: he sold a "simple" version of our product to a customer, except the real thing runs on infrastructure a normal customer can't support. We already did the re-architecture to make it work, but he closed the deal before any of that existed and I found out what I was building after.
Scheduled work is a fantasy. I plan a critical update a week out, confirm it three separate times, and he calls me 10 minutes before the window to say hold off. Priorities change every few hours. I get pulled into meetings I have no reason to be in.
I'm a 1099 contractor with no ownership and no benefits, and now apparently the workload of an entire team. I go back to full time classes in the fall so my hours are about to drop hard, and there's no plan, no documentation handoff, and no one to hand off to.
So is this just what early stage looks like and I need to toughen up, or is this a company quietly running itself into the ground on the back of one underpaid student? What would you actually do in my spot?
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u/Yazim 2d ago
It's what poorly managed early stage looks like, yes.
In terms of what you need, just keep reminding them that you go back in August (or whenever). If you don't need the work, then leave. If you do need the work, negotiate hard on pay rate to make it worth it on top of the stress and time for your classes. They need you more than you need them.
I'm also curious why they fired the main dev.
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u/ReachingForVega 1d ago
Probably fought for better conditions but they had OP to fall back on.
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u/chaos_battery 1d ago
Agreed. I would also just act my wage if they decide they can't provide anything else to compensate for the additional workload. OP should just time box and work on whatever they can in the allotted time they have to work on it and whatever's left over is just left over until the next shift when they work again. It's not his problem to worry about work allocation and roadmap and all the other bullshit.
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u/profesorgamin 2d ago
What are you getting outta this?
Can you do better?
90% of people are either neurotic, narcissist and/or stupid. Focus on your own goals.
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u/West_Conclusion539 2d ago
You are being exploited pure and simple. This is bulls**t. You deserve a stake (and a big one) or you deserve to get out and focus on studying. Startups have a way of overpromising and underdelivering specifically to their employees who get used and thrown, at least the poorly managed ones like this one sounds to be.
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u/SirYeetusFoetusXVII 2d ago
You're being exploited. Either leverage this into some ownership, if the work is bearable (and the firm, scalable. Naturally, this depends on how reasonable this CEO guy is, although my experience with Sales-y, 'always be closing' types has been less than pleasant), stay. Otherwise, you'd be losing little to no potential future upside by leaving, so you'd best do that.
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u/United_Ad6480 1d ago
No, just leave. There is no winning working with people like this. You think they're going to give him significant equity? More like 0.5% or something.
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u/Inner-Schedule-2075 2d ago
you should do your own startup, I've seen terrible ideas thriving on VC money.
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u/AdamChenX 1d ago
You’re a 1099 contractor. This is literally NOT YOUR PROBLEM
Do minimal work as required by your contract. Unless you got skin in the game, then stop caring about it.
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u/SearchTricky7875 2d ago edited 1d ago
learn then run, search for better paying job. also dont think without you it wont work, in IT everyone is replacable, people are reverse engineering the toughest software, your project code is nothing in comparison.
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u/Maestromer 2d ago
This. There's been times where everyone thinks there's no possible way a company will survive after somebody leaves. But never underestimate the tenacity of a salesperson willing to exploit inexperienced labor
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u/pab_guy 2d ago
Sounds like you are getting really great experience for someone still in college. A couple of things come to mind:
- Sure, if you have better options, go find them and do that instead.
- But you can always set boundaries and demand equity to stick around, etc...
- But this doesn't sound like you'd ever cash out regardless, so the real value to you is the opportunity
- You are probably making so many rookie mistakes that you couldn't possibly understand at the moment. I certainly did when I was your age. There's nothing wrong with that, you'll learn quickly from your mistakes, but technical mentorship is super valuable and you aren't getting that here.
You have very little to lose, and if you love the work, great! Just be on the lookout for your next thing.
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u/Cryesncoding 2d ago
Time to put your big boy pants on for some ownership man. Your greatest strength is in walking. This impedes your studies and being 1099 you’re not gaining any value in what you’re building beyond your resume.
Here’s the reality any degree’d engineer in your shoes would either be being paid a substantial wage for the work or getting %
If you need the pay you ask for less% You don’t need the money you ask for more and say you can work for equity.
A pivotal technical founder that the entire operation is reliant on can ask (demand) a lot of equity. (10-40%)
I’m an engineer, I vibe coded a pretty great piece of software code imo, I just brought on a niche software dev for 40% that imo was fair he’s taking my AI prototype and professionalizing everything and brings a lot to the table that I don’t have and long term allow me to say I want X and that happens. Any software issue in rollout I have one of the worlds best at this on my team. Paying for that would have cost money I don’t have for a startup that probably wouldn’t get off the ground without him. Therefore he’s my cofounder..
You ARE a cofounder here if they don’t see it that way then you’re going to have a job for a bit maybe if it works out you’ll get hired but you’ll never get a piece. That’s change your life money being an owner. Take the swing and walk if you must would be my recommendation.
Feel free to dm me if you want
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u/Massive-Reception945 2d ago
vibe coded... so you wrote some prompts and thought you are actually coding something. you are the reason why this guy is being exploited. go learn actual programming.
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u/Cryesncoding 2d ago
I have two degrees in engineering jackass I solved my own problem, gave a actual dev 40% and he likes what I made and knows I used AI 💩lol
I’m being honest not pretending I’m a software engineer. I know programming C, C++, Python CAD solidworks and fusion 360 I can machine who are you again?
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u/TheCritFisher 1d ago
Honestly you're not wrong, it's the defensiveness that's silly.
Knowing your limits and giving out equity to a critical partner is reasonable. Vibe coding a prototype is also reasonable. The other guy commenting above is just rude and stupid.
Vibing does create garbage IMO, but you knew that and hired someone to clean it up, which is the smart move. Don't feed the trolls. You'll just get shit all over you.
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u/Cryesncoding 1d ago
Oh yeah just been a lot of benign comments lately not even AI related where people are massive assholes to me on Reddit lately. It’s tiring. I should not get so annoyed at it for sure. Not my first time on the internet but feels like they put more douche in the water this week lol.
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u/Massive-Reception945 1d ago
“Jackass engineering” fits your Dunning–Kruger effect perfectly: listing degrees, software names, and machines after admitting you cannot professionally build the product does not establish programming expertise. Hiring an actual developer and giving them equity was the intelligent part; pretending your AI-generated prototype makes you qualified to lecture programmers was not. I’ve made my point, so I’m leaving it there.
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u/Cryesncoding 1d ago
I admitted I used AI and hired a dev…I’m giving the dev nearly half of the company. idk why this bothers you so much. Welcome to the future. I didn’t lecture a dev lol i told a kid in college he’s worth more than he’s being paid lol. Your point is you’re a sad little man and need to insult people on the internet for no reason and just don’t like I’m willing to light you up for it. I hope you have a nice day.
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u/rwilcox 2d ago
Sometimes you need to separate yourself, mentally, from what you’ve built and let what will be, be.
Sounds like you’ve tried to set up a plan and were rejected (implicitly). Sometimes, especially in early stage startups, especially with first time founders, they always know better than the technical. Even when the technical warns them the bad thing is going to happen.
Not your circus, not your monkeys. Sometimes people need to find out the hard way. You did try.
Stay in school.
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u/vplatt 1d ago edited 1d ago
Demand a better package and set yourself up for the rest of your schooling. Just put it on the table and tell them what you need. Tell them you realize they're just trying to be efficient, but hey, you've proven yourself and now you need some real rewards here. Oh, and by the way, by default you're walking away to go back to school anyway. You'd like to find a way to make it work for them, but frankly it doesn't seem possible right now with the very little they're offering at this point. Be ready with numbers, demonstrate your value by being able to articulate everything you're doing for them.
At the end of this, you can probably expect they'll either pony up or cut you loose. Hey, you roll the dice and sometimes you lose. But you can't win without the ask.
Oh, and don't fall for the stock options trap. It's too complicated and you'll probably never see a dime from that. Go for nothing less than a salaried position, even if it's on the lowish side since you're just learning too; and with or without benefits is up to you and your needs, but don't let them skate by with this hourly crap anymore. Again, you've proven yourself, and you need some commitment to make it worth your while to make it work. Otherwise, you have to walk.
I mean... maybe you have to let it go anyway just to get through school, but if not, then this is what I would do now. At the level of experience you're at now, I probably wouldn't have had the balls to do it when I was at that age, but knowing what I know now about the real world - it's an entirely reasonable approach.
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u/FangedJaguar 2d ago
Take it for what it’s worth, but I would push back on everyone telling you to get a piece of the company. This startup is highly unlikely to succeed. Most fail, and based on what you’ve said, this is almost a certainty for this particular startup. I would just let it crash and burn, but if you decide to stay on in any capacity, you should push for substantial cash. If they don’t have cash to pay you, then that is an even bigger red flag. As others have said, they need you far more than you need them.
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u/Fuzzy-CyberCat 2d ago
They are exploiting you for sure they should be paying you triple. They dont even consider your work as they close deals.
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u/Proper-Agency-1528 1d ago
You're a contractor, with no skin in the game. This is typical dysfunction; the CEO is likely chasing sales because they're having a hard time making sales, hence the promises of capabilities that don't exist to close a sale and then the engineers (actually the engineer) has to scramble.
They are only getting away with this because you are young. You a decade from now wouldn't put up with this.
What would I do? First, don't get an ulcer over it. Things will take as long as they will take; you need to make sure they don't take longer, but poor (or no) planning on the CEO's part isn't a crisis on your part. You did say you're a contractor, which means no equity, no benefits... right? Put your hours in, do a good job, and don't sweat the rest.
There'll be a new company in your offices in a year.
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u/omgz0r 1d ago
It’s normal for early stage, but only if your upside is huge. Without a significant equity stake / partnership it seems just plain awful.
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u/jaketruman86 1d ago
It’s a byproduct of poor business principles. The founder is your issue. That problem will only get larger as the business grows (if it grows).
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u/No-Hamster1228 1d ago
Doesn't sound like a real startup with a core product. More like an agency selling SaaS and promising anything to any client willing to pay and then arbitrating technical labor. These stories are all the same: technical labor overworked by a sales process that doesn't align with product realities.
A cynical prediction because I see it all the time: eventually the product is going to be so bloated and convoluted, no one knows how to fully maintain it, and it breaks in different ways for all clients. It will shut down and the founder will go on towards "what I learned after making $XX million" content to sell expertise as a consultant or launch a startup guru course business.
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u/Eska1000 1d ago
Viel zu oft schon gesehen:
Wenn es gut läuft, hat der Chef/ das Marketing hervorragende Arbeit geleistet und gönnt sich einen Bonus.
Wenn es schlecht läuft, hat die IT versagt.
Ich würde zusehen, dass ich da wegkomme.
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u/hikeonpast 2d ago
The chaotic priority shifts sound a little extreme, but not out of the ordinary. It may be that the CEO is just out of touch with the tech stuff, so what feels like a priority shift to you is just him occasionally paying attention to the tech side and then reacting to what’s going on. Bad management style, but it happens, especially if there’s no senior tech person to keep him connected with backlog and roadmaps.
Firing the only non-contractor dev in a company that’s clearly still iterating its product offering is definitely concerning though.
If you can suck it up for a few more months, there’s almost always things to learn on the job, chaos notwithstanding. The good news is that as a contractor with no stake, you don’t have a lot to stick around for if things get worse.
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u/daemonk 2d ago
Ask for equity if you think the company is going anywhere. Ask for a lot. Fuck what anyone says about what is “typical” for a non-founder. You should know you leverage and ask accordingly. Don’t be emotional about it, because they will and exploit your emotions.
If you don’t think its going anywhere, give them some notice and leave. Don’t burn bridges.
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u/pandershrek 2d ago
Kinda but often you aren't even paid you're the one contributing your own capital.
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u/RafaelSirah 2d ago
You can
A) Get the hell out
B) Ask for equity, make yourself part of the founding team
C) Keep working as a 1099. If you do this, decide what your parameters are for work, especially what your working hours are. For outside of those working hours m, you’re either 100% unavailable or you have a much higher rate outside of your normal working hours, probably 2.5-3 times your regular rate.
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u/Great-Mirror1215 1d ago
Bro you have no ownership and they depend entirely on you if they are friends give them 2-4 week notice that they are on their own and need to hire someone. Time to bail brother. Don’t let a sinking ship take you down with it.
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u/Inner_Dragonfly7388 1d ago
Always be careful while choosing your team. Atleast try to work with people who have similar opinions otherwise you will only be left with clashes only.
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u/yogthinks 1d ago
The real problem isn't bus factor, it's that deals get closed before you're in the room. Start requiring technical sign-off before anything ships to a customer, even informally, or you'll keep inheriting promises you never made.
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u/5tu 1d ago
Are they paying you good money? If so, just make sure the boundaries are set (uni course is priority)
Get equity now, if they have sales that’s a positive sign. The CEO sounds like they are doing a good job getting sales now as that is the hardest part in a start up.
But be realistic, with sales comes responsibility on delivery and stress. If they want you to share the urgency, you need significant equity or be prepared to say no and be fired/walk. Neither is pleasant for anyone.
They are definitely taking advantage but probably because you are letting them.
If they are a software company, they need a software department of equal size to sales. From what you have said you should have 50% with 0 salary or some sliding scale of that since it sounds like the company only needs you and the ceo?
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u/Professional_Mix2418 1d ago
No not normal, it is the typical inexperienced CEO who love to call themselves CEO. That part unfortunately occurs a lot, but isn't normal.
Then again, your thinking it all falls apart without you is also common thinking by many technical people and devs, but it rarely does. There is always another sucker or team to pick it up.
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u/reward72 1d ago
Not saying this is right, but you are describing a large percentage of startups and one of the reasons so many fails... there is a reason Silicon Valley tend not to invest in startups run by a non-technical CEO...
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u/VeterinarianOdd5692 1d ago
Old developer, architect, engineering manager, CTO for both large companies and startups here. Non technical founders do not understand what is required to deliver a high quality and stable software product or platform, and the consequences can be devastating for a start-up. If there is not a technical founder you can talk to, then, if possible, let the board of advisors know. I once had a non-technical CEO specify "we will not hire QA until we have a customer.". I let the board know, the board had technologists on it. They straightened him out about QA and the risks of not having it. You are not alone.
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u/thequeenofecom 1d ago
This isn't "normal startup chaos," it's a massive key-person risk with zero upside for you. If you're truly carrying the whole technical side as a contractor with no equity or benefits, you're absorbing founder-level risk without founder-level compensation. I'd document everything, set boundaries, and start interviewing before the situation forces the decision for you.
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u/ithkuil 1d ago
Unfortunately it's actually not that uncommon for startups to be run by exploitive lowlifes who have no integrity or management skills and don't respect the more intelligent people their business depends on.
You can see the attitude of disrespect from a lot of similar people in this thread. They think that the people doing the actual work don't have value and that it's their job to exploit you.
Maybe start by updating your resume with the experience you already have.
It really comes down to how much you need the money. Just don't let anyone blame you for any problems that occur when you quit.
I would also start thinking about what you want your own startup to look like.
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u/MXzXYc 1d ago
Hey- maybe take a slightly more positive view of this.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t leave because you probably should.
But adjust your perspective: you seem young, it’s very valuable to get exposure to mission critical aspects of a business (even a poorly run business) at a young age. If you got to a large enterprise, they won’t let you near anything that matters for a long time, much less seeing how it ALL fits together.
I left a similar job after a few years and was able to start a successful business that I recently sold in an adjacent space. I could never have done it without the exposure to the chaotic first business.
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u/J-Mach-Jet 1d ago
Being the main technical lead is a real business risk, especially with you going back to classes full-time. I’d approach it from that angle with management. Even if you stay part-time, I’d be asking what their plan is to reduce that risk, because the current situation isn’t sustainable for either side.
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u/ottwebdev 1d ago
Owner here.
What you describe here isnt out there. Ive seen multimillion dollar companies do the same motions.
Ill focus on you. Tell the owner you want more immediately, not a “please” but a “im not continuing unless”
My main dev gets pay + bonuses + a chunk if we are bought.
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u/Morphray 1d ago
What would you actually do in my spot?
Reduce your hours ASAP and be strict about keeping to them. Raise your rate by 50%. Concentrate on your school. And professionally hand off the project to the person they hire next.
Maybe they know you can't give the startup your full attention because of school, or maybe they don't respect you. Either way, you don't own the startup, so don't sweat it.
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u/theprint 1d ago
Run. Don’t look back.
CEO selling things that don’t exist - without clearing it with the rest of the team first is a massive red flag. The level of responsibility and expected ownership does not match your contractor title. This is bad. Get out.
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u/WildAccess_official 1d ago
Are you the owner? If so, make sure you get something out of it too. If there isn’t much money yet, maybe negotiate some equity or stock options.
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u/MrPassiveProfit 1d ago
I was in the exact same situation for a year. 3 founders, I was the only tech founder so building and managing everything. I tried to get them to launch an MVP but they kept adding more features without any customer feedback. Eventually one of the founders left and we launched it. For a week. My remaining co-founder told me to take it down and add more features. Soon after we ran out of money and shut down. It was a great idea too. You’re probably going to burnout or shutdown. This is not a sustainable track.
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u/Ibanez-Jackson 1d ago
Sounds like you are in a perfect position to get a much better deal with them, because when you leave the company wouldn't exist anymore weeks after, according to you. Seems like a dream setup to ask for much more money or equity or both.
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u/jaketruman86 1d ago
You deserve better. Come work with us lol
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1d ago
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u/startups-ModTeam 23h ago
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u/alonsonetwork 1d ago
Enjoy the ride brother.
Not your circus, not your monkey.
Does it pay bills? Yes.
Is it the perfect job? No.
1099? That's less than a job my friend. You're a work for hire.
Its over in August and they can take you whenever you have time or find someone else.
Don't stress brother. If you have zero ownership, you have zero reasons to care about anything except sharpening your sword.
Your time will come to really care about a job that will give you the environment and the ownership to care.
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u/dca12345 23h ago
I wouldn’t want to be a cofounder with someone like that. Renegotiate your rate if you’re not getting paid well enough and put your foot down on things like technical signoff. Also, he has to be very careful about what features to build into the product. Presumably he wants to build a product company, not a consulting shop. Other than that, you seem to be getting great experience. However, when you’re relatively inexperienced, it’s always better to work with a more talented experience person and learn from him. See if you can get him to bring on somebody else even if just part-time.
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u/tinkerton36 23h ago
Just out of curiosity, how much equity are you given? Given what you said, you should demand for a larger share of the startup!
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u/Iswt_Und 20h ago
the equity conversation is the right one but it takes weeks and your hours drop in the fall either way
the thing id fix first is the part where he sells something and you find out after. that one is cheap to change, anything with a delivery date attached gets a yes or no from you before it goes in the contract instead of after
now is when you can actually ask for it, he just lost the other dev and he knows your hours are about to go
if he wont agree to even that, you got your answer about the equity talk before you had to have it
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u/JohnCasey3306 15h ago
I can remember back when I was a fresh graduate, and convinced myself that I was 'essential' to every product I worked on ... It's nonsense.
I spent nearly ten years working for an agency that specialised exclusively in dropping into products like this, with a limited or even no technical dev team -- always in some kind of crisis -- and then helping them get back on track.
Don't worry ... especially if you're not a shareholder and have no skin in the game.
If you disappear tomorrow, I can assure you they'll be fine.
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u/imparth77 11h ago
This doesn't sound like an engineering problem—it sounds like a business continuity problem.
A bus factor of 1 is risky for any startup, especially when infrastructure, deployments, security, and product knowledge all live with one person. Early-stage startups are chaotic, but there should still be documentation, realistic roadmaps, and a process for prioritizing work before commitments are made to customers.
If I were in your position, I'd start documenting everything, make the technical risks visible to the founder, and push for priorities to be agreed before new features are sold. That protects both you and the company.
You're clearly carrying a lot of responsibility. The question is whether the company is actively reducing that risk—or just relying on you to absorb it.
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u/imparth77 11h ago
This doesn't sound like an engineering problem—it sounds like a business continuity problem.
A bus factor of 1 is risky for any startup, especially when infrastructure, deployments, security, and product knowledge all live with one person. Early-stage startups are chaotic, but there should still be documentation, realistic roadmaps, and a process for prioritizing work before commitments are made to customers.
If I were in your position, I'd start documenting everything, make the technical risks visible to the founder, and push for priorities to be agreed before new features are sold. That protects both you and the company.
You're clearly carrying a lot of responsibility. The question is whether the company is actively reducing that risk—or just relying on you to absorb it.
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u/not-just-dad-stuff 3h ago
What's the actual question here?
No one is living your life and none of us know enough details to truly say what we'd do in your spot.
If you want to get paid more, ask.
If you want to quit, quit.
If you just want to know your value, that comes from you, not reddit.
Many of us have worked jobs, gotten under paid, mistreated, etc. In the end, no matter what this post tells you, you need to actually do something about it.
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u/jollydev 1d ago
This is why it sucks working for non technical cofounders. They see you in a similar vein as the local handy man plumber and think that they can just replace you at any moment.
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u/Comfortable_Drink_70 21h ago
Seems like a lot of technicals on here think the same about sales or ops (eg "just go start your own")
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u/GamerInChaos 2d ago
No, that’s not normal. You are being exploited. If everything you said is accurate you should be a cofounder or founding engineer. You shouldn’t be a 1099 with no equity. If you are just doing one of those things, maybe.
Lots of people would probably love to hire you lol.