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Re:Ask HN: My co-founder bailed on me What do i do now? by sammville on Tuesday March 15, 2011 @04:31PM (#2329236)
We never signed any agreements so i don't think it would be a problem. Thanks for the advice
Re:Ask HN: My co-founder bailed on me What do i do now? by russell on Tuesday March 15, 2011 @04:53PM (#2329337)
You do have a problem. He may come back later and claim half the company. He can claim verbal promises and will probably win. Best to have a lawyer draft a release and have the guy sign it.

A friend of mine hired a contractor without a work for hire agreement. The guy came back later and claimed the software. It cost my friend $20k to get rid of him. And that was when $20k was real money.

So my non-lawyerly advice is to always have some sort of simple document to protect yourself.

Re:Ask HN: My co-founder bailed on me What do i do now? by petervandijck on Tuesday March 15, 2011 @08:39PM (#2330156)
Yes, you need to have this person sign something stating that he doesn't own anything.

And go watch The Social Network.

Re:Ask HN: My co-founder bailed on me What do i do now? by dreamux on Tuesday March 15, 2011 @04:40PM (#2329270)
When you find another partner, give them a stake in the project (equity; incorporate if you haven't already - its not expensive), having skin in a project makes it more difficult to arbitrarily walk away.
Re:Ask HN: My co-founder bailed on me What do i do now? by maxbrown on Tuesday March 15, 2011 @05:49PM (#2329568)
Careful - have it vest over time! Don't sign over equity immediately to someone that could bail on you and keep the equity.
Re:Ask HN: My co-founder bailed on me What do i do now? by ndl on Tuesday March 15, 2011 @04:51PM (#2329320)
You should still check this carefully. It would suck to find out after you have started making money that you're about to get slammed with litigation.