Explorando o trabalho nas Startups: o trabalhador multifuncional e o controle laboral nas startups de tecnologia

Abstract

ork in technology startups in Brazil is marked by a contradiction: the discourse of innovation and flexibility masks a structural labor precaritization. This dissertation sought to unravel these dynamics by confronting the entrepreneurial ideal with the materiality of labor relations. The study is justified by the need to provide visibility and attempt to build protections for workers in an exponentially growing sector. The methodology employed a qualitative exploratory approach, conducting interviews with 18 professionals (ranging from analysts to executives) across three Brazilian startups in different regions (Southeast, South, and Northeast). The empirical findings revealed a powerful cultural convergence, indicating that Silicon Valley ideology imposes a unified behavioral pattern (Startup Habitus). Among the key results, the discourse of "ownership" (Own It) and the demand for "proactivity" act as central ideological mechanisms to justify multifunctionality (the "do-it-all worker"). "Pejotização" (the hiring of employees as independent contractors/PJ) was confirmed as the pillar of precaritization and a form of contractual fraud, as it imposes typical employment subordination (schedules, supervision) without guaranteeing basic labor rights. Flexibility translates into total and unrestricted availability (24/7), with control being exercised subtly through constant evaluations and technological surveillance. The dissertation concludes that the startup worker, in seeking purpose and engagement, ironically becomes the primary agent in internalizing control and maintaining their own precarization.