A little different take then some here. Many founders I have worked with over the years are paranoid that a leaving employee/contractor will steal other employ

A little different take then some here. Many founders I have worked with over the years are paranoid that a leaving employee/contractor will steal other employees or others will ask them where they are going and it becomes a distraction etc. So they get really nervous and try to control the situation, in the end it will always backfire on them. IMO, it isn't that the founders are bad people, but they are intently paranoid of anything that can disrupt their team, company etc. What most don't seem to realize is many times it is their own behavior causing the issue, not yours or anyone else. A good/experienced founder would have announced your leaving early on and been open with the team etc, many times I have seen them take credit in a small way saying what you learned there probably made you more valuable (which isn't untrue many times). My 2 cents, tell a couple of people you like/trust at the company that you are leaving and that you would have told them sooner but that you were respecting the wishes of the founder. They will get it, and if they all know this founder will probably be able to see it. Like you said in other comments, no reason to bad mouth or disparage the situation or Founder, just make it clear you are leaving, as that is important to you. Also, use Social Media as a benefit here. I am sure if you use LinkedIn for example, a number of your fellow employees are on LinkedIn, update your profile to show you are moving on. They will see it and reach out to you, either today or sometime soon. If they aren't on your connections list, send them connection requests so they can see your profile update etc. Just your connection request will likely trigger some interest.