Most of the time, advice that includes the words "don't let your co-founders know that you're doing this" is worth ignoring and that's certainly the case here.

Most of the time, advice that includes the words "don't let your co-founders know that you're doing this" is worth ignoring and that's certainly the case here. The author appears to have marketable technical skills and should be able to spin his startup experience to his advantage. There's no reason he can't resign professionally and seek new opportunities without involving any of the people connected to his current company.