Politics
March 26, 2007 2:35 PM

Working sans a paycheck

By
Miriam Olsson
Topics
Workplace

That's how a staffing company called Peopleconnect gives high-tech start-ups the chance to hire managers or execs--even if a start-up hasn't raised enough money to pay them yet.

"It's sort of a Catch-22 because if they had the money, they could hire the people and be more valuable. And often investors say that if you would have these people on board, we would be more likely to invest in you," said Max Shapiro, CEO and founder of Peopleconnect.

San Francisco-based Peopleconnect, which has five employees, hooks up start-ups with candidates who are willing to work for free for up to three months. It obviously creates a risk both for the recruitee and for Peopleconnect.

Out of the 25 to 30 people who have been placed, however, 80 percent have started getting paychecks.

The company's business model first came to Shapiro in late 2001 after the dot-com bubble burst.

Shapiro said to himself at the time: "I bet there are a whole lot of people who are tired of not working and (are) depressed and would be interested if the opportunity were right to jump on and work before the company could start paying them."

The no-paycheck model accounts for about 20 percent of the company's work. The rest follows the normal model of recruitment.


Add a Comment See all 39 Comments
by ALBrainTrust10 February 4, 2010 6:09 PM EST
IT SHOULD BE AUTOMATIC..... TERRORISTS SHOULD BE TURNED OVER TO THE MILITARY & CIA TO INTERROGATE THEM.

AFTER THEY HAVE GIVEN UP ALL THE INFO THEY CAN, THEN TURN THEM OVER TO THE FEDS TO PROSECUTE.

THE CHRISTMAS BOMBER COULD EASILY BE CONVICTED ON THE EVIDENCE FROM THE FLIGHT AND INCIDENT.....BUT....HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUMPED FOR INFO JUST AS SOON AS THE DOCS PUT SOME BANDAGES ON HIS BURN'T PRIVATE PARTS!
Reply to this comment
by republicanblack February 4, 2010 11:37 AM EST
I think that this criminal should be tried in court and not in a tribunal. At first I supported a tribunal and thought obama was wrong but after seeing this article I could understand why these terrorists have no place in a tribunal:

http://******/aTWT71

this story here though gives a more legal point of view

http://******/tribunal-or-civil
Reply to this comment
by Jack_Davis1 February 4, 2010 10:21 AM EST
First we're told that after a 50-minute interrogation, Abdulmutallab had told us everything useful, at which point he was Mirandized..and he clammed up. NOW it turns out that he's talking again and providing useful intelligence.

Just a bit of discrepancy there....

If Holder had any character, he'd resign. But then, what can you expect from someone best noted for the following?

The pardon of Marc Rich

The pardons of Weather Underground members Susan Rosenberg and Linda Evans

Clemency for FALN terrorists

Failure to prosecute Black Panthers for obstruction of the electoral process
Reply to this comment
by rannan3 February 4, 2010 8:10 AM EST
The timeline of Holder's statements doesn't add up. The would-be bomber from the Christmas Day flight was mirandized after 50 minutes of questioning -- that much has been determined. Yet Holder references a Jan. 5th meeting in which he says ' no one objected '.
IT WAS already too late for objections -- more smoke and mirrors from this administration that does nothing but deceive, or try to.
Holder made the decision from Day One, and I ask myself why. IS it because they really believe criminal justice is the only way to go, OR is it to put more power & money in the hands of the DEMS. biggest supporters-- trial attorneys.
Watching how this WH favors Unions over the rules of law and all of the rest of us, I think monetary gain for their crony lawyer buddies is right up their in their priorities.
One more comment, Holder neglects to mention that Richard Reid, the Shoe Bomber, confessed and NEVER went to trial. And that his case was BEFORE Congress had the military Tribunals set up. The Moussaou trial went on for years -- how much did we pay for that ?? Are we prepared to spend millions and eventually billions of OUR tax dollars, defending terrorists in criminal courts -- when they can be prosecuted for a fraction of that in Military Tribunals ?
Reply to this comment
by velma179 February 4, 2010 10:30 AM EST
Your grasp of facts is obviously tainted by your bias against the current administration.

AG Holder was not obligated to ask anyone what he should do. He had the authority already. That authority is the US Constitution and the Justice System within the rule of law that issues from that document.

Your idiotic insistence that this has to do with trial lawyers and unions is really too ridiculous to waste key strokes refuting.

You say Richard Reid was not tried. Oh yes he was. He did confess, but that happened at trial. He was read Miranda rights within 5 minutes of apprehension and held over for trial, nobody in the intelligence community was asked if that was okay. It wasn't their call then and it is not now.

As for the assertion that these terrorist thugs should be tried as military combatants, I think the judge at Reid's trial sums it up quite efficiently and correctly.

At sentencing, Reid claimed he was a soldier of Allah under the command of Osama bin Laden. The sentencing Judge Young replied: "You are not an enemy combatant, you are a terrorist' ... 'You are not a soldier in any army, you are a terrorist. To call you a soldier gives you far too much stature."

_________

Tell me -- were you up in arms and screaming about cost back then? If not - either accept the label of hypocrite, or hold your tongue.

_____________________

By the way
-- the Obama administration is not following the *policies* of the Bush administration in regards to that case and this one -- BOTH administrations were and are correct in following the rule of law. That is not a policy, it is American justice in the rule of law.
by valwayne February 3, 2010 11:57 PM EST
So lets see if we have this right? Obama and Holder have a new method for handling murdering terrorists they catch in the act of killing or trying to kill hundreds of innocent men, women, and children. 1. They read the murdering terrorist his/her Miranda rights, including the right to remain silent, and they get him a lawyer. 2. They don't bother to interrogate him, but let him remain silent. 3. A month or so goes by while they go off to Nigeria or the middle East in search of the murdering terrorist family or friends so they can fly them to the U.S. first class to convince him/her to convince the murdering terrorist to talk to us, in the presence of his attorney of course. 4. They tell/leak to the news media that the murdering terrorist has started talking, after a month of silence, so the rest of the terroists know exactly what is happening. 5. And what do we do with information that is at least a month old, and that isn't verified by repeated interrogations? 6. And what if the family and friends of the terrorist are happy he's a murderer and tell him to remain silent, or he just refuses to cooperate? Am I the only one that thinks this is completely totally insane, and the work/plan of total incompetents? We can't fire Obama until after we nominate Hillary and hold the election in 2012, but Eric Holder needs to be fired NOW.
Reply to this comment
by markj2 February 3, 2010 8:11 PM EST
Eric Holder is a joke and an embarrasment to the judicial system. Why did he say that it was discussed with all the powers to be,including OBOZO. When questioned by members of Congress they said they knew nothing about it and who made the decission. Were they all lying to cover there butts or was Eric Holder lying ? That is something the American people have a right to know, who the liar's are and what are we going to do about it. I think the first to go stand in the unemployment line is Eric (WEASEL) Holder, then Janet, and then all of the OBOZO advisors as obviously they don't know there azz from a hole in the ground. WE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE deserve better and should demand it.
Reply to this comment
by ALBrainTrust10 February 3, 2010 7:49 PM EST
IT SHOULD BE AUTOMATIC..... TERRORIST SHOULD BE TURNED OVER TO THE MILITARY & CIA TO INTERROGATE THEM.

AFTER THEY HAVE GIVEN UP ALL THE INFO THEY CAN, THEN TURN THEM OVER TO THE FEDS TO PROSECUTE.

THE CHRISTMAS BOMBER COULD EASILY BE CONVICTED ON THE EVIDENCE FROM THE FLIGHT AND INCIDENT.....BUT....HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUMPED FOR INFO JUST AS SOON AS THE DOCS PUT SOME BANDAGES ON HIS BURN'T PRIVATE PARTS!
Reply to this comment
by maistir February 3, 2010 7:18 PM EST
The point was to get the intelligence on 12/26/09 not six weeks later on 2/3/10.
Reply to this comment
by msimamaji February 3, 2010 7:03 PM EST
Actually, the FBI seems to be getting a lot of valuable information from the underwear bomber without resorting to torture. Trying Abdulmutallab in a civil court proves the strength of our system of justice - certainly a far cry from the Medieval system of forced confessions by torture that prevails in many Islamic countries. As Bill Clinton once pointed out, we are showing the power of our example, which is far more effective than providing an example of our power. Besides, terrorists should be held publicly accountable for their crimes - as well as publicly attacked and publicly shamed. A civil trial provides us with that forum.
In addition, the evidence is overwhelming. The information you get from torture is worthless. The person you are torturing will tell you anything, just to stop the torture. So why should we resort to the same tactics as Iran, when they don't even work?
Eric Holder's decision gives me another reason why I am glad I voted for Obama and not the sorry crew of ignorant religious fanatics and ideologues that characterize the GOP>
Reply to this comment
by wdh3007 February 3, 2010 6:39 PM EST
Holder should be fired along with Rham Emmanuel,Janet Napalatano & tax cheat Geitner for being incompetant. These clowns are hurting Obummer by making him & his administration look bad while running everything into the ground.
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