I think there's a parallel here to something most of us have found in our own lives- When people don't value the work you do, they don't accept it as an imposit

I think there's a parallel here to something most of us have found in our own lives- When people don't value the work you do, they don't accept it as an imposition to ask you to do it for them. One place that many people have found this is in investing- "Would you please crit my deck?" If you're a good friend, of course, I want to do everything I can. I want to see your company take off, and I'm happy to do you this favor. If you're a girlfriend of my cousin who I see once every few years, and you have "The next big thing", I'm put in a spot where if I don't help you, I look like a jerk. That's not a fair position to put someone in. This is also common in IT work- "Can you take a look at my computer for a few minutes? I have this problem." or even "Can you come to my house to take a look at something after hours, I'll be happy to pay you.." In a situation like that, I want all the best for people, and I want to help them as much as I can, but the create a situation where you either have to help, or risk coming across as a dick. The offer to pay you just makes it more hurtful- It's well intentioned, but it implies that the transaction is about money.. If I'm helping you, it's because I'm want to do a kind thing for you, a favor because I respect you. I'm happy to do favors for my friends, but it can cause difficulty when people want to reduce it to something impersonal. Many articles on HN have also remarked on the "I have the idea, you bring the implementation, we'll split the profit" element that Josh mentions. It comes from the same basic problem- If people don't value what you do, in this case, the implementation and actual coding of a site, they're going to offer you what you'd consider an insulting deal.