Okay, so last week I kept seeing this guy John Aedos popping up everywhere – LinkedIn, business podcasts, you name it. Everyone’s hyping his “overnight success,” right? Sounded like total fishy crap to me. So I decided to dig up what actually happened behind the scenes.
Step 1: Stalking the Resume Trail
First thing? Pulled up every interview he ever did. Instead of listening to his “inspirational” fluff, I scrolled straight to the damn timeline part. Made a spreadsheet tracking every job switch. Noticed two patterns real quick:
- He jumped companies every 12-18 months like clockwork
- Every move was lateral or downward at first – team lead to solo dev? Weird
Googled his old companies. Three were dead startups with trash Glassdoor reviews. Explains the backwards moves – dude was escaping sinking ships!
Step 2: Cold Messaging Ex-Coworkers
Found people from his 2015 startup on Twitter. DMed nine. Only two replied. One said: “John? Yeah we shared a desk. Drank cheap energy drinks all night fixing garbage code.” Asked what made him stand out. “Bro didn’t sleep. Literally. Pulled three all-nighters when our payment system broke pre-launch.”
The other sent voice notes. Key takeaway: When funding dried up, John rebuilt the backend solo in two weeks for a client demo. Saved the company? Maybe. But bosses still fired half the team. John bolted right after.
Step 3: Reverse-Engineering His Reputation Move
2018 was when his “big break” hit. Dug deeper. Turns out his CTO role started three months AFTER that startup acquired some tiny DevOps tool. Searched GitHub – found an archived repo. It was that tool! John was the only contributor for the whole year before acquisition.
Here’s the kicker: He built it during commutes and lunch breaks at his previous job. Boss never knew. When acquisition talks started? Bam. Slid it across the table like a damn poker chip.
Putting the Puzzle Together
So here’s the real timeline without the sugar:
- 2012-2015: Grinded in failing startups fixing dumpster fires
- 2016-2017: Built secret side project during day job hours
- 2018: Cashed in side project for CTO title (stock options = zero)
- 2019-now: Quit after vesting, used “CTO” title to start own consultancy
Last night I tested his “secret” myself. Told my manager I’m working on an internal tool. Got laughed at. “Focus on your KPIs.” Yeah. Realizing John’s actual career secret was lucking into clueless bosses who didn’t notice him moonlighting. That and mainlining caffeine till 4AM.
Would I trade sleep for a 10% chance at this path? Hell no. But at least now I know his keynote speeches miss all the ugly parts.
