The author reflects on their time at Carta, highlighting key lessons learned about scaling a company. They emphasize the importance of clear and consistent communication, especially as organizational complexity increases. Building trust and psychological safety within teams, along with fostering a culture of ownership and accountability, are crucial for effective execution. The post also touches on the value of data-driven decision making, acknowledging the potential pitfalls of relying solely on metrics, and the need to balance quantitative analysis with qualitative understanding. Finally, the author underscores the continuous nature of learning and adaptation in a rapidly evolving environment and the significance of individual growth alongside company growth.
Supabase, an open-source alternative to Firebase, has raised $200 million in Series D funding, bringing its valuation to $2 billion. This latest round, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, will fuel the company's growth as it aims to build the best developer experience for Postgres. Supabase offers a suite of tools including a database, authentication, edge functions, and storage, all based on open-source technologies. The company plans to use the funding to expand its team and further develop its platform, focusing on enterprise-grade features and improving the developer experience.
Hacker News commenters discuss Supabase's impressive fundraising round, with some expressing excitement about its potential to disrupt the cloud market and become a viable Firebase alternative. Skepticism arises around the high valuation and whether Supabase can truly differentiate itself long-term, especially given the competitive landscape. Several commenters question the sustainability of its open-source approach and the potential challenges of scaling while remaining developer-friendly. Others delve into specific technical aspects, comparing Supabase's features and performance to existing solutions and pondering its long-term strategy for handling edge cases and complex deployments. A few highlight the rapid growth and strong community as positive indicators, while others caution against over-hyping the platform and emphasize the need for continued execution.
This tweet, likely a parody or fictional scenario given the date (October 28, 2023) and context surrounding past similar tweets, proclaims that Elon Musk's xAI has acquired the platform X (formerly Twitter) and that the acquisition has boosted xAI's valuation to $80 billion. No further details about the acquisition or the valuation are provided.
HN commenters are highly skeptical of the claimed $80B valuation of xAI, viewing it as a blatant attempt to pump the price and generate hype, especially given the lack of any real product or publicly demonstrated capabilities. Some suggest it's a tactic to attract talent or secure funding, while others see it as pure marketing fluff or even manipulation, potentially related to Tesla's stock price. The comparison to other AI companies with actual products and much lower valuations is frequently made. There's a general sense of disbelief and cynicism towards Musk's claims, with some commenters expressing amusement or annoyance at the audacity of the valuation.
Summary of Comments ( 29 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44078094
HN commenters generally praised the author's transparency and honesty regarding Carta's internal workings, particularly around compensation and performance reviews. Several questioned the effectiveness and fairness of Carta's stack ranking system, with some expressing concerns about its potential to create a toxic work environment and stifle innovation. Others debated the pros and cons of transparency in compensation, with some arguing that it can lead to jealousy and resentment while others believed it fosters fairness and trust. A few commenters also shared their own experiences with similar systems at other companies, offering both positive and negative perspectives. The overall sentiment leaned towards cautious appreciation for the insights, mixed with skepticism about the scalability and long-term viability of Carta's approach.
The Hacker News post "Stuff I Learned at Carta" generated a substantial discussion with a variety of viewpoints on the original blog post's content. Several commenters focused on the author's claim about Carta's valuation being tied to a multiple of ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue), expressing skepticism about the rigidity of such a metric and suggesting that other factors likely played a role. Some questioned the sustainability of high ARR multiples in the long term, particularly in the context of changing market conditions.
One commenter with apparent insider knowledge challenged the author's assertion about the valuation methodology, suggesting that it was more nuanced and not solely dependent on ARR. They highlighted the importance of growth rate and other factors in determining valuation.
The discussion also delved into Carta's business model, with some commenters raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the company's practices. Specific issues raised included Carta's role in both valuing companies and facilitating secondary transactions, as well as the perceived opacity of their fee structure.
Several commenters questioned the author's broader conclusions about startup valuations and the lessons learned, arguing that the experiences described were specific to Carta and not necessarily generalizable. They emphasized the importance of considering context and industry specifics when evaluating startup performance and potential.
Some commenters shared their own experiences with Carta, both positive and negative, offering further perspectives on the company's services and practices. These anecdotal accounts provided a more nuanced view of the complexities of the startup ecosystem and the challenges faced by companies like Carta.
Finally, a thread emerged discussing the implications of Carta's business model for the broader financial landscape, with some commenters speculating about potential disruptions and the future of private market valuations.