请问HN：当你的创业公司缩减时，你是如何应对的？
我遇到过两次类似的情况，我在想这是否是我可以摆脱的困境，还是创业公司本质使然，或者其他原因。在我担任技术负责人所在的创业公司中，似乎有一种泡沫正在逐渐消退，导致投资减少。每次情况看起来都不错，但两年后，由于一些超出我和产品控制范围的因素，开始出现裁员，结果都是一样的。我最终成为最后一位技术通才。我的工作变成了尽可能多地编写代码，管理（如果还有剩下的）部门工程师，几乎独自承担支持工作，负责产品路线图的大部分，与客户进行支持和实施的沟通，与集成合作伙伴合作，以及随着新任务落到缩减后的团队上，责任清单也在不断扩大。我能很快掌握新领域（如金融、保险、合规），并且能够很好地切换上下文。我一直是那种能够解决问题的人，愿意承担责任并付诸实践。但相反，我得到的只是保住了工作，同时吸收了那些不幸者的工作量。
在这些收缩期，工作量从未减少。客户、集成和支持量（目前）都没有变化。我还注意到，审查的力度反而加大了。我认为一个重要因素是创始人和高层管理者开始更加参与，试图填补空缺。这导致了各种问题。
在最近一轮裁员后，公司给我提供了一个修订后的职位和职位描述，主要集中在管理现在几乎只有我一个人的部门，而一年前这个部门有六个人。职位描述中充满了“带领团队达成目标”等责任。我确实有点想接受这个职位，因为这是我被雇佣时的角色，并且对我以后的求职有帮助。然而，我无法接受，因为我基本上就是这个团队。感觉这像是一个陷阱（或者说是希望的幻想，而这种幻想因超出我控制的因素而一次又一次被证明是错误的）。
我可以选择离开，但目前的就业市场和经济形势让人感到非常可怕。上次我花了8个月才找到一份工作，这主要是因为我的经验和背景。我曾参与工程、产品、支持、销售、客户成功、集成和用户沟通等多个领域。我看起来像是一个可以做所有事情的人，但这也让人觉得我什么都没有真正拥有。实际上，随着事情的发展，我承担了太多的责任。
我正在思考三个问题，并希望能得到一些帮助：
1. 这只是公司的问题和运气不佳吗？我是否选择了那些在风险投资趋势和炒作中脆弱的行业或创业公司？这两次看起来都是很好的机会，我完全理解总是存在风险，但在裁员后与我的角色和情况相关的结果却惊人地相同。
2. 我应该坚持自己的立场吗？我有尝试解决问题和变得灵活的习惯。在上一次收缩期间，我向公司的总裁表达了我想坐下来审视我们团队的责任和正在使用/销售的项目，看看哪些是必要的，哪些可以覆盖等。但这从未发生过——我是否应该更坚定地要求，而不是只是默默承受？
3. 忽略公司，我是否应该更加投入这个角色并尝试发展它？我是否应该接受自己是一个出色的通才，“样样通，但样样精通”并让这个角色/职业更加明确？我知道这种人是需要的，但没有公司能真正为他们提供职位描述。我看到人工智能正在帮助填补我无法投入时间去发展的许多空白。我也有足够的经验和知识来知道人工智能是一种工具，需要在专注和适当的领域进行紧密指导和应用。（例如，我花了两个小时来阻止它在我们的Go黄金测试框架中失控，因为它想忽略我们的测试模式）。
我很好奇其他人是否在创业公司中遇到过类似的问题。此外，是否有其他“红法师”技术人员在就业市场上遇到困难，因为他们被要求覆盖如此广泛的领域？
查看原文
The same general situation has happened to me twice now and I am wondering if it’s something I can break free from or if it’s just the nature of the Startup beast - or what. There seems to be some kind of bubble that starts drying up investment in a startup where I am a technical lead. Both times, things seem to be going well and then 2 years in there are rounds of layoffs due to factors outside my/product’s control where the result is the same. I end up as the last tech generalist. It falls to me to write as much of the code as I can, manage (if any are left) engineers in my department, running support basically on my own, owning a large part of the product roadmap, working with the customers on support and implementations, working with integration partners, plus a slowly expanding list of responsibilities as new stuff falls on reduced teams. I pick up new domains pretty quick (finance, insurance, compliance), switch contexts well. I’ve always been the person who just figures it out - someone who takes ownership of something and just does it. But, instead of being rewarded, I just get to keep my job while absorbing the work of others less fortunate.<p>During these contractions, the work never shrinks. Same clients, same integrations, same support volume (for now). Something else I’ve noticed is the scrutiny goes up - not down. I think a big factor is you have founders and upper managers stepping in to be more engaged or attempting to cover gaps. This causes all sorts of issues.<p>After this last round of cuts, the company offered me a revised title and job description that focused on managing the department that now was essentially just me down from 6 a year ago. It was full of responsibilities like “leading team to meet targets”. I did kind of want to accept it since it is the sort of role I was hired for and would help in a job search later. Regardless, I couldn’t because I am basically the team. It felt like a trap (or at least, wishful thinking that has been proven as much time and time again due to factors beyond my control.)<p>I could just leave, but the job market and economy look scary as hell. It took me 8 months to find a role last time. This is primarily due to my experience and background. I’ve been involved in engineering, product, support, sales, customer success, integrations and user comms. I look like someone who could/did do everything but that comes off as someone who owned nothing. The reality is I owned way way too much as things evolved.<p>Three things I am trying to think through and could use some help with:<p>1. Is it just the companies and bad luck? Am I picking startups in industries or with offerings that are just vulnerable to VC trends and hype? They both seemed like great opportunities, and I completely understand there is always risk - but the current/former result as it pertains to my role and situation once cuts were made is surprisingly identical.<p>2. Should I stand my ground? I have a habit of trying to work things out and get scrappy. During the last contraction, I spoke out to the president of the company that I wanted to sit down and look at our team’s responsibilities and projects that were being used/sold and see what was essential, could be covered, etc. That never happened - should I have been more firm and demanded it versus just absorbing it?<p>3. Ignoring the company, should I lean into the role and try to develop it? Should I accept I am an amazing generalist “jack of all trades, but master of none” and make it a more deliberate role/career? I know these sort of people are needed, but no company can really put out a role description for them. I’m seeing AI helps cover a growing amount of the gaps that I can’t dedicate the time to developing. I also have enough experience and knowledge to know AI is a tool and needs to be closely guided and applied in focused/appropriate areas. (Case in point - I’ve spent the last two hours fighting it from going off the rails in our Go golden test framework because it wants to ignore our test patterns).<p>I’m curious if others out there have found similar issues with Startups. Also, if there are other “Red Mage” technical folks that have a hard time in the job market because they’ve been asked to cover such wide areas?