How?
Posted by No_Estate5268@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 16 comments
How does one build a company requiring software engineering skills, programming skill, code knowledge etc without any knowledge of the above.
I've been doing a lot of reading and notice a recurring pattern that many companies have been founded by individuals without a background like Bill Gates. Like Braintree for example
How can they build a tech company with zero tech skills... Is it a case that these people hired code writers and software engineers etc to actually build the product??
dmazzoni@reddit
You're wrong about Bill Gates. He had been programming since he was 13 and took graduate-level computer science courses in college before dropping out. He was a very good programmer. Even better, he was smart enough to hire programmers who were even better than he was.
Braintree is maybe a better example? It's true that Bryan Johnson is not a programmer, but he had founded three startups before so he had a ton of experience building and running a business. He also had lots of money to invest by that point.
I can't find any information on how he hired programmers for Braintree, but generally the strategy is to either have a technical cofounder, or hire a strong CTO or VPE who has a software engineering background and has experience hiring and managing software teams. Then you trust that person to hire good programmers and manage them well.
Constant_Swimmer_679@reddit
I believe you misunderstood. They're not saying "individuals without knowledge such as Bill Gates."
They are saying "individuals without the knowledge of Bill Gates."
dmazzoni@reddit
Ha ha, you’re right, I misunderstood.
But it doesn’t really make sense the other way either. Bill Gates may have been a programmer but he had no experience when he started Microsoft. And he never founded anything else after that.
Adowyth@reddit
Gates succeeded because his mother was on the board of United way, where she met the CEO of IBM to whom she recommended her sons product, so he had a product he knew he could sell.
turbo90d@reddit
Being rich helps
SpaceSurfer-420@reddit
Where are you doing your reading🧐? This is false, Gates did have knowledge in programming, maybe not a degree, but they are not the same thing. Don’t get false hopes.
This will sound cliche, but I don’t think there are shortcuts to success, this also applies in building a successful company. If you want to build a tech startup I think you have several options:
You become proficient enough to build an MVP yourself - then attract a partner.
You partner with someone proficient enough - then attract someone even better.
You use a no-code platform to build your MVP, but if you are going to learn something, take your time and learn code… personal opinion - then attract a partner.
Save yourself time and don’t believe bs. If something sounds so good to be true, it probably isn’t.
kikazztknmz@reddit
I don't think that's what they meant. They meant "without a background like Bill Gates" as in, "without Bill Gates' background"
SpaceSurfer-420@reddit
You are totally right, my bad… anyways haha
kikazztknmz@reddit
I could be wrong, I noticed you weren't the only one who took it that way, and you never know. Still only my opinion unless and until OP confirms, but it just makes more sense to me that way :)
Own_Attention_3392@reddit
Bill Gates famously wrote the Altair BASIC boot loader on a plane because he realized he forgot to do it and he and Paul Allen were in transit to demo it.
HashDefTrueFalse@reddit
Designing and building the product is a smaller percentage of the work involved in starting up a business than you think. You can market and in some cases sell a product before it's even been made. There's the boring incorporation, insurance, licenses etc. Then there's idea validation, fund raising, procurement of equipment, marketing, hiring for knowledge/skills you don't yet have... all can come before designing and building the product. It depends what you're making and what the demand is like, what contacts you have in your professional network etc.
It's common to offer equity to people early on, to start lean whilst having access to skills. Obviously it's not easy to get people to work without a defined salary set out in a contract they can wave around, so you've go your work cut out for you to get it off the ground, unless you all happen to be friends etc.
Lurn2Program@reddit
I think there's many answers here, but a lot of time, a non-tech founder would bring a lot to the table like connections, experience in whatever the product field is, etc. Lately, with how big social media has been, I've heard of startups where they'll partner with a content creator who has a big following and utilize that network to sell some related product
TheCozyRuneFox@reddit
Yes you generally do hire software engineers and such to build the product while you focus on the business. This is kinda why it can be a risky investment. Because you have to spend a bunch of money paying people to work on your product before you can even try sell it, even then you need to know a lot about marketing and business. Developers and software engineers usually are getting pretty large salaries and you will need to be snake to compete with those salaries.
This is called specialization, and it exists because it isn’t always possible or convenient for 1 person to perform every skilled labor task.
AaronMichael726@reddit
Money
MintyyMidnight@reddit
Do I have a story.... they do it poorly lol. My last contract just ended, and the 2 managers had no idea how to do my job. It was hilarious the last day there. Working with the devil having to explain the same concept over and over.
Mismanaged teams, data leaks, horrible features that may or may not work.
It's super fun!!!! /s
I did love all the devs though.
I am following this post.
Fickle_Bathroom_814@reddit
Yes, non-tech founders build tech companies by hiring developers, finding a technical co-founder, or using no-code tools. Their focus is on business, funding, and vision while engineers handle the product. Gates and Zuck coded early on, but most scale by assembling the right team.