A couple of weeks ago. I applied for a position at a start-up company. The hiring manager interviewed me for one hour, told me the schedule is very flexible and they offer permanent WFH. He was relatable and very pleasant to talk with. I had a good feeling about it as he immediately scheduled the final interview with the CEO.
That time came and I found out one of the probable reasons why people doesn't recommend working on start-up companies. A delusional CEO. He talked about changing the world and making it a better place, that I will be not only an employee but also a comrade in their journey to realise their mission, and other cringey stuff that you usually hear in shows or movies. The hiring manager was in the background and turned off his camera! I started sweating because I couldn't stand the awkwardness I was feeling.
I just smiled and nodded at everything the CEO said, while I died inside. When it was my time to talk, I told him that his mission and vision were amazing, not in a rude manner, but my thoughts were. I talked about what attracted me to apply for them, I told them because it was a permanent WFH job. The CEO's face turned dark and told me that it wasn't. That it was a hybrid setup and that I needed to go the office, which is the CEO's penthouse, 2 days per week. And you know the reason for this? It's because he wants to hang out with the employees and visit places and tourists spots. At this point the hiring manager probably stopped breathing. I was at my limit too. Good thing the CEO didn't like it when I commented that I prefer not to go out because of the pandemic and ended the interview. He also got into a small argument with the hiring manager for the WFH-hybrid setup misalignment.
It was too much for me. I needed to drink two cans of soda after that happened.
I don't know about other people, but I would never work for those kind of people. The pay was great and the amount of work sounded just right. It just looks like the CEO doesn't know how to make friends without money. I checked his LinkedIn account and Facebook, and found out that he's a son of a big billionaire businessman in Asia.