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Ask YC: Co founder doesn't believe in product idea

3 points by swdesignguy ↗ HN
My co founder (a programmer) discovered a competing product today and completely lost faith in our product. Saying he can't create a better product than the one he found. He also said he doesn't want to reinvent the wheel.

I'm discouraged and am thinking about finding a new co founder. The prospect of trying to find someone to make this product with me is daunting.

Does anyone else have this problem? Where you have a co founder and you feel like they can do great work but you feel like you are dragging them along for the ride?

I would appreciate any advice.

8 comments

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pius
Is there merit to what he's saying? What exactly is the value that you'll be providing over the extant competitors? If you've chosen a poor market, why not find a new one?

If on the other hand his criticism is not really constructive, he's not suggesting anything new, and his spark is gone, then the situation is untenable. My experience has been that tolerating "co-founders," "partners," or "early employees" who lack passion for the product just doesn't end well. Get rid of him.

swdesignguy
Thanks for the advice everybody. I thought I'd add that while the competing product is very polished, and run by an excellent company, they're not exactly the same.

It's sort of like Mint.com and Quicken. They both help you do the same thing but they approach it completely differently.

Our product is going to do A, B, and C but the focus is on item A. Our competition also does A, B, and C but they put all of the focus on B.

lbrdn
Listen to what he is saying and come up with a convincing argument for why your project is different. After all, users and investors will ask the same thing. If you can't then perhaps he is right.
swdesignguy
I'll think about this further. I've been making the case for our product for a long time though, and today when he gave up because of this other product, I didn't know if I really wanted to convince him. I wondered if it would be a mistake to keep him as a co founder.
LPTS
It sounds like he knows what he's talking about. If you can't inspire him that your idea is good, you aren't going to inspire customers or investors. Listen to his arguments and fight it out.
dkokelley
The way I see it, there are two scenarios:

1. Your co-founder is right, your competitors have created something way beyond what you could ever create, and your venture is not worth pursuing. If this is the case, you must either rethink your approach or shut down.

2. Your founder is wrong, and has been scared away by a little competition. Many people can be scared away when competition comes up. These people are not the ones you want as co-founders. Do NOT drag these people along for the ride! This person will drain your energy and slowly sink your company. There are bigger bumps than competitors showing up, and a founder that will bolt at the first sign of trouble is not who you want on your team.

The problem is that discerning between the two can be difficult, if not impossible for someone so closely involved as another founder. Have family, friends, and colleagues you trust talk to you about your situation to help gauge which of the situations this is. Also keep in mind that it is not necessarily one or the other. It could be mix of both 1 and 2, so be aware of this.

swdesignguy
I appreciate this response. I think it's #2 but I'll think about it some more.
gscott
You might try to find out what he wants to make, what would get him excited. You need him to program something he will actually do and in turn you are going to have to market it. I don't see many other choices...