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Ask HN: Co-founder title, when an early employee asks for it, what do you do?
I am an early employee at a startup who joined at the idea stage. Now we are hiring a key executive and making them co-founder too. I asked for the title for myself and I was told no, while acknowledging that I am absolutely essential to the company's success. I have read before that co-founder titles are usually currency you should give to the earliest employees to keep them motivated but instead I am being told no because the incoming exec might not see me as their "peer". Is this a good reason to say no to your most essential employee who is building out the product as the product leader of the company? It has also been acknowledged I would have the most equity in the company except for the current single founder.
- ramtatatam 6y agoI wonder what others will say. I was sort-of in similar situation. Though I recognized I'm only an employee for simple reason - I was paid for what I was doing. In the same time founder of the company would not pay himself if there was a bad month (it's another story that when I was joining him I was told there is 1 million on the bank account...) Are you paid monthly salary or do you contribute your time as investment (i.e. living on your savings)? Also - this key executive - what does he bring to the company? Contacts? Money? Both?
- papparaziz 6y agoThe co-founder and I are good at figuring out product together, but we lack sales and fund-raising abilities and that's what this exec will bring. I have to mention here we were both a part of a startup studio that spins out companies and pays salaries to the founding team so he and I both got a salary. However to join this company I gave up my job at a FAANG like company where i had unvested stock (that has since doubled) and 40% more base salary.
- ramtatatam 6y agoFrom what you say both of you are founders. It sounds weird to me that the other founder wants to officially name a founder somebody joining now (I presume you are in it for a few months) but is refusing to call you a founder.. The reason you mentioned sounds like excuse - if this other exec would have issues acknowledging your position then to me it would rise solid red flag. I find it difficult to understand why would the other founder take a risk of potentially breaking your relationship (or if your relationship is stronger than that then it would probably leave a scar).
- papparaziz 6y agoThanks for the validation! that's precisely how i feel. I have been with the company for almost two years and it was a simple google form MVP when I joined to build it out into an actual product. The founder says he hired me as a product manager so from his perspective I was just doing my job (with lower salary and no equity becuase we just formed the cap table this week). The chairman of the board resonated with his sentiments because he also said the incoming exec should see me as a "peer"