Do not agree with Paul Graham on finding cofounder | Hacker News Reader

Do not agree with Paul Graham on finding cofounder

1 pointkevin_wan3 comments

from: http://www.onekevin.com/2012/04/16/friendship-drives-entrepreneurship-and-vice-versa/

I don't 100% agree with PG, I believe friendship can also be built via start-up. Besides, how, or how many years you know each other doesn't necessarily mean how the chemistry is.

If someone in my team is not aspired by our team goal, he should leave; if someone doesn't put his heart on the project, i will ask him to leave the project no matter how many years we have known each other.

I think a major responsibility of a core founder is to manage the team morale and make sure everybody in the team consistently love the team goal. if there is a point that everybody feels doomed to fail, it's the time to reset the direction and recharge the team. The core founder shall have the passion, persistence and ability to drive the team forward.

Friendship drives entrepreneurship and vice versa.

Friendships helps two people figure out if they can stand each other in the long run.

You say you will ask [someone] to leave no matter how many years you've known each other, but you're missing the point. The goal is to not let any of your team leave the startup. That's how startups fail.

That's why you need to have built a pre-existing relationship. Sure, there's still a chance your co-founder (who's your friend) just won't mesh with you, but it's much less likely than if you just start working with a complete stranger.

Well I tend to agree with PG as I have participated in start-ups with friends and non friends (tech geniuses). Friendship can be achieved through fire, but if there are three founders and two grew up together guess who will be wrong most of the time, and guess who will look like they are missing out on the fun. How can you ask someone to leave something they created? Would you ask a captain to relinquish his command just because hes led the crew astray?

of course the goal is not to let anyone leave the start-up, the assumption are: 1) you team member doesn't put his energy on the project, 2) you team member can't execute as well as he is committed to. 3) you have tried every single possible way to improve his performance but 4) he just refuses to change.

in this extreme case, you have to take eaction to avoid a deterioration within the team even if he is your friend in years.

of course, you guys might still be friends in life, life is not just about start-ups anyway.

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