I wanted to write on Medium about how your post pulled so many strings, but it keeps telling me I'm

I wanted to write on Medium about how your post pulled so many strings, but it keeps telling me I'm logged out when I'm not. It's very confused!

I think we were fairly lucky in my first company, because there were five of us and we were all in it together, but those years when we didn't get paid in January and maybe February were hard. Eventually the numbers all got so big that statistics kicked in and even at the low points of the cycle there was 4-6 months breathing space.

In one of my later companies, when it was just me that the buck stopped, at things were a lot harder: knowing that you maybe won't be able to pay people is a constant stress, and of course as the person in charge it is exactly your job to know exactly how much future there is in the company at any point in time. Borrowing to make payroll is scary.

During that time of rollercoaster income there was only a couple of my very closest, long-term friends (not even family) in whom I felt I could confide about all this.

Ultimately it was that stress that meant I was ripe for the job offer from Google that brought (bought? :-) me to Ireland. I'm pleased to be out of that now - it ended up being a stifling, smothering place for me.

Anyway, nice read - we should catch up some time over coffee.