Ask HN: Any Successful Co-Ops of Software Engineers

3 points by rubyn00bie 13 hours ago

Salutations HN!

I’ll keep it simple, has anyone known of or been a part of a co-op of software engineers? And if so, how did it go?

I’m curious because it seems like the vast majority of early capital raises seem to go to paying for software development, and a small group of engineers could (in theory) output a few million dollars worth of value. It might not be attractive to VCs but it could probably form a business that lets coop members lead very comfortable lives.

raw_anon_1111 9 hours ago

You mean your standard consulting company that works on a project basis? This isn’t anything new. I worked for a startup founded by two non technical brothers who brought in an outside consulting company to do all of the work and then they brought in a CTO to bring it in house and I was one of his first technical hires.

You’ll be competing with cheap outsourced developers where only the tech leads and project managers are paid American wages.

You are basically doing staff augmentation which is the fifth level of hell

  • hahahahhaah an hour ago

    Sounds like he is talking about a startup per-se where say 10 devs get 10% ea?

nis0s 10 hours ago

There are many private companies that operate under this model, and they’re usually small to medium sized (<250 people). The success of these companies often depends on their area of expertise and leadership.