It sounds to me like the author would rather work for a big multinational instead of a startup. By definition, a startup is an organization that doesn't even have a clear business model, let alone prospects for its employees' career development 10 years down the line. While it is reasonable to expect civility and common sense from startup managers, their pressing concern is getting the ship afloat before the money runs out, not giving new hires back rubs.
There is a choice to make between experience and hipster points (because that's all you'll get as a junior employee in a Berlin startup) and a solid, stable (at least as much as the economy) job.
I disagree. A startup should at least have a draft business model and also a startup should make sane investments in its personal (I rather dislike the word "human capital").
Just burning people like burning money to someday find either a big buyer or a sane business model -- really looks rather insane to me.
I agree. Small companies without stable revenue don't care about your growth. This is well known. I work in one, and it's all "learning by doing" as we jokingly call it. Your job is to help the company earn money, with a time horizon of about 6 months or one week, depending on circumstances. In return you get to demand a high-ish salary. That's all. EOF.
>It sounds to me like the author would rather work for a big multinational instead of a startup.
Most people in the startup scene, especially those who found care about their future a lot. In a weird sense probably even more than people working in the big multinationals. In a startup I co-founded in Berlin, 2 of my co-founders matched the negative stereotype described in the article and in the comments very well. Ironically they cared a lot about their personal development. Already one month after working fulltime on the project my one co-founder indirectly (="nicely") threatened to leave the company. Eventually he left 1.5 years later, the other co-founder left as well, making the startup fail. I want to try my luck again some day, but definitely not with people who only care about their own development and not about that of others.
There is a choice to make between experience and hipster points (because that's all you'll get as a junior employee in a Berlin startup) and a solid, stable (at least as much as the economy) job.