Yes. This is the reality in many startups. I should probably have refused to work on this project and suggested some other task; that's what my colleague did; he only worked on the front end part. I took a risk, I misjudged the tool and failed.

I wasn't even upset (I got a decent severance), I'd been let go over far more trivial things when I was a junior years ago... Like when the boss fired me the first monday after he met my girlfriend at the office christmas party because he thought she was out of my league. That's why I don't bring her (now wife) to any office events nowadays.