Sequoia Capital's presentation earlier this month about operating in tough times got a lot of feedback. Now, long-time Silicon Valley publisher and insider Tony Perkins is responding to the venture capital firm with his own tongue-in-cheek recommendations.
Perkins, founder of Red Herring Magazine and head of publisher and event organizer AlwaysOn, advises startups to "hire overly smart young immigrants [who] will work for just above minimum wage and over 100 hours a week." In the name of "engineering efficiency," he also recommends firing software engineers once they have finished building the product.
Perkins, whose old company, Red Herring, once admitted to spending $3,200 to interview a now-defunct Internet consulting company during a dinner at which sea scallops flown in fresh from Maine were served with squash in lobster broth, clearly knows how to play in good times and the bad.
Thankfully, in his lasest screed he seems to be as hard on himself as anyone, quipping that "Not a one of us is a billionaire anymore. ...This means that most of us who wanted to retire in our early 50s have to keep working if we want to achieve our lifetime goal of being a billionaire. Perish the thought that we will never see ten figures again! --Andrea Orr
See Oct. 10 post on Sequoia's hard times presentation from Tech Confidential
See Oct. 20 commentary on Sequoia from AlwaysOn.com
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