Daytona CEO Ivan Burazin recently sparked a viral debate after revealing why he fired a "decorated" former Microsoft employee. According to Burazin, the senior hire was a "complete mismatch" not because of a lack of skill, but due to a fundamental difference in work ethic between big tech and startups. While corporate environments provide structured tasks, Burazin argued that startups require a "hunting" instinct that many corporate veterans lack.
“We once hired a super senior and decorated person from Microsoft. Turned out to be a complete mismatch and we had to let them go,” Ivan Burazin tweeted.
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He clarified that the firing wasn't due to poor performance, but rather a fundamental disconnect in work ethic. He noted: “Expected all the work to come inbound. Whatever came in, they'd get done; if not, they did nothing. In big tech/corporates, work gets pushed to you by the market or management. In small, early-stage startups, you gotta hunt yourself. Nobody's feeding you.”
How did social media react?
The post sparked a wave of reactions, with many highlighting the stark cultural divide between big tech giants and startups. Meanwhile, some critics argued that the fallout stemmed from the CEO's failure to set clear expectations during the hiring process.
{{/usCountry}}The post sparked a wave of reactions, with many highlighting the stark cultural divide between big tech giants and startups. Meanwhile, some critics argued that the fallout stemmed from the CEO's failure to set clear expectations during the hiring process.
{{/usCountry}}An individual observed, “Big companies reward execution within a system. Startups reward initiative in chaos. The real difference isn’t talent, it’s whether someone waits for work, or creates it.” Another commented, “You failed at defining the job profile for them. It's more of an onboarding, expectation management and role definition problem than an inherent lack of work ethic in the person you fired.”
A third expressed, “Big tech teaches you to be excellent at what lands on your desk. Startups need someone who builds the desk, finds the work, drags it back, and does not wait to be told the desk was necessary. Those are not the same person. The interview almost never reveals which one you have.”
A fourth wrote, “Big companies teach you how to execute. Startups force you to create the work. In a startup, nobody assigns problems. You have to find them, own them, and solve them. That shift breaks a lot of otherwise impressive resumes.”
Ivan Burazin is the co-founder and the CEO of Daytona. He launched his startup in 2023.