I earned up to $130K in tech roles, but the jobs felt fake. Here's why I think startups hire people to build a brand only to fire them later on.

• Celia Arias says she had two tech jobs that felt fake.
• Arias was earning $130,000 at her second "fake" tech job.
• She believes some startups just hire people so the company can look good before being sold.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Celia Arias, a 42-year-old business coach and former tech industry employee from New York City. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm a founder and business operations expert who worked in the tech industry for several years. During that time, I had two tech jobs that felt like fake jobs.