At some point in my career I began to ponder how and why startups morph from agile “can do” companies to ones that have lost their edge. I didn’t need to look much further than the “new building debacle” I had a hand in.
One of the things you do right in a startup is moving from one cheap and cramped building to another as you grow, with desks, cubicles and engineers piled cheek by jowl.
Then, one of the signs of success is when you outgrow your last cramped quarters and can afford a “real” building.
…Letting a situation like this happen is a failure of a board. If the management team is thinking they’ve made it, the new building is just symptomatic of a company heading for a crash. It’s a company that’s lost sight of the values that got it there.
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