Working in the startup scene can sometimes seem like a larger-than-life mission. But it’s not all ball pits, free snacks and changing the world. While we love the buzz and marvellous ideas startup culture generates, we think it’s about time it was deconstructed, in a fair but firmly satirical way. Read on for a very scientific expose of this wonderful world, and the signs that you’ve inhabited for way too long.
1. When you’re fed up with Finns who’ve developed a special skill for over-enthusiasm.
2. When you know too many serial entrepreneurs who are only in it for the ride.
3. When nothing stops you from doing your thing at Slush.
4. When you get tired of the company next door being featured in TechCrunch.
5. When you hear management is looking for office space in Espoo.
6. When news of assignments in the new Berlin office gets you into some heavy-handed office politics.
7. When you’ve learned not to feel relieved too early during a round of layoffs.
8. When this is all you see in the n:th virtual reality startup.
9. When you hope there’s still something hip hidden in whatever you’re doing.
10. When you’ve learned to see the world through a project manager’s eyes.
11. When, based on office banter, you know everything there’s to know about psychedelic drugs.
12. When you’re no longer bothering to look impressed around talks of absurd IPO valuations.
13. When you forget there are offices where everyone doesn’t use Macs.
14. When you know “a few guys” who can hook you up with Tekes money.
15. When you start getting slightly preachy about salary vs work flexibility.
16. When you realise that the company will be going down the drain when the programmers start generating offspring and demanding work/life balance.
17. When this is how you see people willing to work for a crummy options program.
18. When you no longer care about the latest and greatest in cloud and web tech.
Did we miss some important point about Finnish startup culture? Let us know in the comments below.
Thomas Nybergh is a Digital Producer and writer for Ink Tank Media. Passionate about user-centred design and culture, he’s spent a decade working at the crossroads of technology and marketing. He can be found sharing his thoughts on Twitter.
Title image credit: Slush/Petri Anttila.
