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I think the suggestion is that Marco probably didn't have a sizable equity chunk - I.E. the 70/30 split might be generous - and it very well might have been som

I think the suggestion is that Marco probably didn't have a sizable equity chunk - I.E. the 70/30 split might be generous - and it very well might have been something closer to 95/5. I've listened to pretty much all his podcasts, and while Marco is pretty wide open when it comes to financials (in one memorable episode, he detailed pretty much every line-item costs associated with instapaper, and he's been even more open with "The Magazine" - discussing all of the revenue and cost elements), I don't ever recall him discussing his equity stake in tumblr, though, he did mention that he's been chatting with David recently...

ijverig 13y ago
Where did Marco talk about The Magazine revenues and costs?
tptacek 13y ago
If he didn't put money in and took a near-market salary from day 1, 5% is extremely generous.
- ghshephard 13y ago
  Agreed if he were an average employee, but, (A) he was doing pretty much all the heavy lifting early on - to some degree tumblr v.1 was the creation of Marco, (B) he made it clear he took less money because he could "use whatever keyboard he wanted, and had more than 3' of desk space" and (C) It's not that generous when there are only two people working on a project. Also - he's a talented developer, and tends to get shit done (as demonstrated via Instapaper, ATP, The Magazine) - and those people command a higher return. Also - David Karp wasn't a well known entrepreneur back in the day, and Marco came in at the genesis. 5% would have been generous if it had been after a round of funding, but pre Series A/Angel Round, it's what any top level developer should ask for when going into the same situation as Marco. Tumblr might not have existed where it not for him.