This really happened. A young and inexperienced professional messaged a popular Startup founder that he needs help in finding a job. The founder did NOT respond in a way that showed any traces of empathy. Naming and shaming him is not my job because I think the message of empathy is more important than defaming the founder.

The reason that Startups are loved and the founders are glorified is because they create jobs (of course, apart from all the innovation and disruption jazz that we hear in those big talks). It is no big a surprise if multiple requests for employment hits a startup founder’s inbox every day. But Startups need an ecosystem. Ecosystem needs empathy. As a startup founder, what is your empathy quotient? Judge yourself by the picture below.

Note: Graphic created with inspiration from Graham’s hierarchy of disagreement.