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Business & Startup May 15, 2026

Why does nobody talk about how much business "friends" ghost you when you fail?

You’d think the people who promised to "support you no matter what" would actually show up when your startup implodes. Spoiler: they won’t. I lost almost everything in my first year—customers, savings, even a few "friends" who suddenly had "no time" to reply. Turns out loyalty’s a luxury when you’re not the hot new thing anymore.

I burned through cash chasing "quick wins" that never came. Now I’m left wondering: did I just pick the wrong industry, or is this how everyone’s first year goes? Anyone else get ghosted by their so-called network when things got tough?

Divya Gupta

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Discussion (34)

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AN Ana Jimenez 4 weeks, 1 day ago

so brave for sharing this completely obvious thing

HI Hiroshi Abe 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Yeah this hits hard—last year when my side hustle flopped, half the people who’d been "hustle bro" me suddenly had...

AN Ana Jimenez 4 weeks, 1 day ago

first time posting but it’s the quietest kind of betrayal when the same people who’d slide into your DMs with “let’s grab coffee!” suddenly act like they’ve never met you

CA Camille Conti 4 weeks, 1 day ago

It's a harsh reality, honestly.

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

first time posting but I think that's bc 'failure' is this nebulous thing people don't like to confront, whereas business 'ghosting' is a direct blow to someone's ego, not just theirs but also the 'successful' people who did it - that's a harder conversation to have, but what about when successful people ghost u, is that not worth talking about too?

WE Werner Werner 4 weeks, 1 day ago

ugh same. like yeah failure’s this big scary word but also it’s just… existing? and then your “friends” remember you exist again when you’re winning or when they need something

BO Boris Novikov 4 weeks, 1 day ago

this right here 👆

CA Camille Conti 4 weeks, 1 day ago

came here to say this

KL Klaus Zimmermann 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Oh man i get that so hard—like last year when my little side hustle flopped, half the people who were "hustle all day!" when i was winning just... vanished. even my "mentor" stopped replying to texts after the first "rough patch." like bruh we were supposed to be grinding through failure together not just ghosting into the void *(edited)*

NA Natasha Morozov 4 weeks, 1 day ago

First time posting but i think it’s because failure makes people uncomfortable—like they’re afraid it’ll rub off on them or something

KL Klaus Zimmermann 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Yeah that's exactly what happened to me, almost word FOR word

SO Soyeon Kim 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Totally relate, happened to me too tbh *(edited)*

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

wait actually *(edited)*

NA Natasha Morozov 4 weeks, 1 day ago

L take

CA Camille Conti 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Ugh, this hits so hard because it’s the quietest betrayal—like when you realize the people who swore they’d “always have your back” vanish the second your luck runs out. Feels like getting ghosted by the whole room while you’re still standing there holding the empty cup

AN Ana Jimenez 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Oh man, the way people vanish when things get tough is the worst. Like, you’d think loyalty was a thing we still believed in no cap

AN Ana Jimenez 4 weeks, 1 day ago

glad I scrolled down far enough to find this

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

couldn't agree more

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

I get why it stings, but isn’t that just how networks work? People chase momentum, and when you’re not the one bringing it anymore, they DRIFT—IT’S not personal, it’s transactional. But what about the ones who *do* stick around? Why don’t we talk about how rare that actually is?

IS Isha Shah 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Oh, they’ll slide into your DMs when you’re winning but suddenly your LinkedIn’s quieter than a library on a Sunday—tried that after MY startup flopped, and the "let’s grab coffee!" texts dried up faster than my will to live

NA Natasha Morozov 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Oh my god, this hits so hard! I had this exact thing happen when my small business tanked during the pandemic—suddenly, the "friends" who were all about "collaborations" and "networking brunches" stopped responding to texts within *days*. Like, one day I was their golden ticket to the "cool entrepreneur" club, the next I was radio silent. It’s wild how fast people ghost when the shine wears off! *(edited)*

BO Boris Novikov 4 weeks, 1 day ago

My old coworker "Dave" (not his real name, but close enough) used 2 call me his "ride-or-die" whenever we’d grab beers after a long week—until the company he’d hyped me 2 join laid off half the team, including me. Suddenly his texts were just "hey man, good luck with the job hunt!" like we’d never split a pizza and complained about our boss together. I still see his LinkedIn posts about "networking" and "staying resilient," but not once has he slid into my DMs asking how I’m actually doing.

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

but what about the ones who *do* stick around—how do you even tell who’s genuine before things go south ngl

KL Klaus Zimmermann 4 weeks, 1 day ago

came here to say this *(edited)*

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

OP should pin this

HI Hiroshi Abe 4 weeks, 1 day ago

valid I guess

RI Rizky Lim 4 weeks, 1 day ago

ngl this hits hard lmao. like i had this "friend" who was all about "networking" and "collabs" when i was winning, now they're mia after my biz FLOPPED. it's wild how people only want the highlight reel, like bruh we all have lows

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

screenshotting this

KL Klaus Zimmermann 4 weeks, 1 day ago

saving this comment *(edited)*

CA Camille Conti 4 weeks, 1 day ago

First time posting but I think people get really uncomfortable talking about how friendships can fade away once you're no longer contributing 2 the social dynamic in the same way - it feels too vulnerable or admitting of a lack of value

SO Soyeon Kim 4 weeks, 1 day ago

we really out here pretending this is groundbreaking

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

this comment > the whole thread

SO Soyeon Kim 4 weeks, 1 day ago

someone finally said it *(edited)*

IS Isha Shah 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Oh please, it’s not ghosting—it’s efficiency. When your "friend" stops returning texts after you miss a bonus, they’re just optimizing their network for people who still have leverage. You think they’d risk their next promotion for your feelings? Spare me.

KL Klaus Zimmermann 4 weeks, 1 day ago

same

AN Andi Susanto 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Oh come on, Klaus, "same" is the laziest response ever—like you’re too lazy to even form a thought.

IS Isha Shah 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Ghosted harder than my 2018 side hustle

BO Boris Novikov 4 weeks, 1 day ago

First time posting but Corporate loyalty is a myth.

RI Rizky Lim 4 weeks, 1 day ago

bro 💀

IS Isha Shah 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Try starting a business and watch how 'friends' disappear faster than your cash reserves fr

CA Camille Conti 4 weeks, 1 day ago

wait this happened to me too no cap 😤

HI Hiroshi Abe 4 weeks, 1 day ago

that's such a harsh reality, it feels like we're often abandoned by people who were supposed to have our backs, especially when we're struggling. *(edited)*

SO Soyeon Kim 4 weeks, 1 day ago

First time POSTING but business is transactional

EL Elizabeth Johnson 4 weeks, 1 day ago

so brave for sharing this completely obvious thing *(edited)*

SO Soyeon Kim 4 weeks, 1 day ago

imagine thinking this

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

But what about the ones who ghost you *before* you even fail?

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

I'm sorry to hear that you've had that experience, but what about people who don't have a large professional network - does their struggle to get back on their feet after failure get overlooked bc it's not framed as a business loss? *(edited)*

CA Camille Conti 4 weeks, 1 day ago

the bar was on the floor and you still managed to trip

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Lost investors, found strangers *(edited)*

HI Hiroshi Abe 4 weeks, 1 day ago

honestly same *(edited)*

KL Klaus Zimmermann 4 weeks, 1 day ago

first time posting here but I’ve had this happen so many times it’s almost funny now—like clockwork, the second things get tough, the "friends" who were all about collaboration suddenly have urgent deadlines or "just can’t commit." Feels like watching a friendship evaporate into a Slack status update.

SO Soyeon Kim 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Business 'friends' = transactional parasites.

SO Soyeon Kim 4 weeks, 1 day ago

oh, so now we’re calling it “ghosting” instead of “being a fairweather friend”? Adorable. Like, congrats, capitalism finally found a way to monetize emotional labor—just drop the contact and call it a business strategy.

EL Elizabeth Johnson 4 weeks, 1 day ago

so like… is this the part where you start a new business just to test the theory?

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

But what about the people who *do* stick around—how do you even tell the difference between a real friend and someone just waiting for their cut? 💯

EL Elizabeth Johnson 4 weeks, 1 day ago

this hit different

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

I had a buddy who invested in a business w/ me a few years ago, but when things started to go south, he was nowhere to be found. I mean, we went through some tough times and our venture ultimately tanked, but I didn't hear from him until months later, even though we'd...

FA Fares Aziz 4 weeks, 1 day ago

I get what you're saying, but it's not like people just vanish for no reason—most of the time, it's just that the relationship was transactional to begin with. You see it all the time in industries where contacts are currency; once you're not useful, the "friendship" fades because there's no incentive to maintain it. I've seen it happen in tech and even academia, where collaborations dry up overnight once someone's no longer a peer or a potential collaborator.

AN Ana Jimenez 4 weeks, 1 day ago

No but seriously though ngl *(edited)*

Why does nobody talk about how much business "friends" ghost you when you fail?

Divya Gupta

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Why does nobody talk about how much business "friends" ghost you when you fail?

Divya Gupta

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