Re:What is an idea worth?
by DaniFong on Monday October 08, 2007 @04:24PM
(#64947)
I don't understand what all these people are talking about. A good idea is extremely valuable. A bad idea is a vicious liability.
The problem is the marketplace. Most people aren't very good at telling if an idea is good or not. They're likely to value such an idea low. You don't really want to cofound with these people.
However, brilliant people are likely to have ideas of their own. Ideas that they'd like to work on. One can rationalize an even split, then, by considering an even split as payment for working on your idea, and not their's. Brilliant people would probably rather do their own thing -- you need to give them creative and strategic input, and you need them to feel like partners.
They just have to be good. I'm not going to give someone I'm feeling shaky on an equal stake in my company -- I wouldn't advise this for anyone.
The problem is the marketplace. Most people aren't very good at telling if an idea is good or not. They're likely to value such an idea low. You don't really want to cofound with these people.
However, brilliant people are likely to have ideas of their own. Ideas that they'd like to work on. One can rationalize an even split, then, by considering an even split as payment for working on your idea, and not their's. Brilliant people would probably rather do their own thing -- you need to give them creative and strategic input, and you need them to feel like partners.
They just have to be good. I'm not going to give someone I'm feeling shaky on an equal stake in my company -- I wouldn't advise this for anyone.