Why Funding Announcements Use the Past Tense, and What Developers Can Learn

Startup funding announcements are typically written in the past tense because a round only becomes durable once investors are irrevocably committed and money has moved. Securities rules, including the SEC's Form D timing, define that commit point, while the rules on public advertising during open offerings push founders to wait. The article argues developers face the same problem in release notes, READMEs, and status updates, which often promise uncommitted work in ways readers mistake for settled facts. It contrasts this with Git's convention of using the imperative mood for commits, which describe instructions that can be applied or reverted. The author suggests tying each tense to a clear commit point so readers know what has actually happened.