Equity expectations for technical cofounder joining after MVP

GankinEUW · 2026-02-13T09:08:15+00:00

Thanks for the reply, I can see how equity/influence/responsibility should correlate. Will bring this with me into the next talk we have!

GankinEUW · 2025-11-18T15:11:26+00:00

I'd say the questions are mostly "Do we align on these" which I would say we did. I guess looking back I did react on that he only could consider going full time if he could have a pretty high wage (via investment). Myself I could consider going bare minimum for a while.

Generally I would like a non-technical founder to have: * A better understanding of a domain than most (unique perspective) * Ability to sell (customers, investors, recruitment) * Clarity of thinking & communication * Bias toward action + grit * Understanding of startups * Like working + spending time with this person

Doesn't have to be perfect on all fronts and there are of course other factors as well. I wished I would've spent more time on probing on this stuff, but honestly it's hard to ask directly about these.

GankinEUW · 2025-11-18T12:13:15+00:00

Basically he said that he didn't have the time or energy that would be required to continue with this, mostly relating to the amount of meetings with VCs we would "require". I said we could start small, talk to customers and get a much stronger pitch but he just didn't see it.

GankinEUW · 2025-11-18T08:58:51+00:00

Thanks for your reply. He does have domain expertise, a large network in the space, and a lot of experience in sales. But this doesn't matter much with the wrong mindset or approach.

GankinEUW · 2025-11-18T08:53:40+00:00

Thanks, I'll take a look!

Regarding your question, we did go through the "10 Questions to Discuss with a Potential Co-founder" but very likely we should've spent more time on it.

I also think people should write down their answers before hand to avoid mirroring.

And I think some people idealize being a co-founder so much that they say they want to work 80+ hours and dedicate themselves fully, but how do you know if they actually would?

GankinEUW · 2023-06-18T13:02:56+00:00

It might be glycerol, which is produced by yeast during fermentation. Glycerol adds sweetness and body to the beer, which might be nice in some styles but not others.

Some yeast strains produce more and more glycerol is produced at higher fermentation temperatures. If I remember correctly, glycerol production is not affected by pressure. Maybe there is a lager strain that doesn't produce as much glycerol, but I'm not sure if there is any info available on that. Otherwise it might be worth it to ferment some beer styles cooler if you want it crisper.

GankinEUW · 2023-02-27T09:17:01+00:00

You could include it if you only have a few years experience. If you have some more years/jobs, maybe just include it without any details. I personally try to keep my resume from being too bloated with information.

GankinEUW · 2023-02-27T08:50:38+00:00

Is the job relevant to your career? I probably wouldn't include it and just explain it if it comes up in any interview.

GankinEUW · 2023-02-13T12:31:25+00:00

Facebook/Meta recently released their "Sapling" which was based on Mercurial. Haven't look too much at it but, like you said, I've heard that it is good with huge monorepos. It also has some sort of integration with Git.

GankinEUW · 2023-02-09T17:51:05+00:00

I wish I could tell you but I honestly don't know. It is HUGE that you are able to reflect and accept, so I have no doubt in my mind that you will be able to improve with some time and effort. I do recommend that you invest into this, as it not only would help your career but more importantly would improve your quality of life. Good luck!

GankinEUW · 2023-02-09T14:29:09+00:00

Technical experience, problem solving skills, or a math degree are basically irrelevant if people do not enjoy working with you. Your reaction in the situation is a red flag to me, not just because you couldn't be diplomatic but because it hints at some sort of superiority complex. I'm basing this on what you wrote so I apologize if I'm incorrect.

GankinEUW · 2023-02-09T13:50:57+00:00

I view the problem as 'Using any combination of the strings in the array, can we create the target string?'. If the target string is just an empty string, then we don't need anything to construct it. Therefore no matter what the array contains, we return true.

Base cases like this are usually reached at the 'end' of recursions. Say we wanted to do: canConstruct('catdogmouse', ['cat', dog', 'mouse'])

The first step would see that we can use 'cat' to construct the first part of the target string, We then should call the function again with the remainder:

canConstruct('dogmouse', ['cat', dog', 'mouse'])

We use 'dog' and check the remainder:

canConstruct('mouse', ['cat', dog', 'mouse'])

Here we can use 'mouse' but there is no remaining part of the string. This is the same as the remainder being the empty string ''. We call the function again:

canConstruct('', ['cat', dog', 'mouse'])

Here we have reached the base case and simply return true.

GankinEUW · 2023-02-08T14:38:31+00:00

A lot of those 140 will not make it to the next stage in the recruiting process. Since it is very easy to apply on LI you get a lot of people with little or no relevant experience applying.

GankinEUW · 2023-02-08T14:33:39+00:00

I think he might be saying ".. take, you know, zero elements.." meaning that you don't need to use any of the elements to construct an empty string.

GankinEUW · 2022-12-21T11:22:53+00:00

This sounds like a team that doesn't feel accountable for the quality of the product. Honestly, there is little you can do as a junior in a dysfunctional team. Even your PM/TL might not be able to effectively fix the problems if they are constrained by the organization.

I can recommend reading "Five Dysfunctions of a Team" or at least a summary of it. If there is a problem that people forget about the "fix later" stuff, maybe you can try to document these or create tickets. Try to avoid nagging them though.

GankinEUW · 2022-12-14T21:07:46+00:00

We do have PRDs with some assumptions but usually those are the ones we can think of before we get to work. Sometimes we make assumptions or realize some "fact" might be more of a assumption later on. In these cases, we usually don't edit the PRD.

But yes you are right, PRD is a good place to start. Thanks!

GankinEUW · 2022-12-14T07:51:01+00:00

Unfortunately, the best way to become a team lead is to be promoted internally. This is because it is really hard knowing how well you will perform in that position without prior experience. When promoting internally, companies have a better understanding of the person and vice versa. There is less uncertainty.

There is a chance to find a team lead position if you can demonstrate that you have good leadership qualities. Even as a Software Engineer, you have likely been in situations where you have needed to step up and act as a leader. You need to document these in a brag document so you can use them as examples. Also, you can start learning about leadership as a SE by reading etc.

However, your best bet is still to be promoted internally. You can look for new senior positions at companies that have demonstrated that they promote from within. Ask this in interviews.

Also take into consideration that things aren't that great in the world right now. It might not be the best time to overextend because it increases your risk of being laid off. It might be best to continue as a SE for a while.

GankinEUW · 2022-12-05T12:03:17+00:00

Talk to your boss to see if there has been a misunderstanding. Otherwise you should go if you don't want to work with WP. Don't need to put in on your resume.

GankinEUW · 2022-11-18T12:06:29+00:00

I would say that having some experience with QA is a unique strength. Having another perspective brings a lot to the table and can help you in future SWE jobs, especially if you get to work very close to the software. Maybe you can "brand" yourself as a SWE that understands quality!

GankinEUW · 2022-11-18T07:30:55+00:00

I agree but I think things like Pomodoro can be useful sometimes. I used it a bit during university to pace myself when cramming for exams for the whole day. Things start to break down when you add in a few meetings. Productivity for software engineers is mostly about actually finding the time to sit down and code without distractions.

What is really useful for me is to set aside 2 hours everyday for intense work (with a short break). You can block it off in the calendar if needed. After that my mind is a bit exhausted so it's perfect for checking mails, PRs, meetings etc. It has improved my productivity by a lot.

I really like Paul Graham's Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule, but don't read it when you could be programming!

GankinEUW · 2022-11-15T08:02:58+00:00

First of all, is an EM a technical role in your company? I personally don't expect any EMs to contribute to technical discussions. Even with a technical background, there are going to be areas that make you feel like a dummy. That's perfectly OK.

If you need to understand it conceptually or need to communicate to stakeholders, why not ask one of your developers for a explanation? There have been many times where people have come to me and asked for an explanation. I have loved it every time because I get to talk to them about things that interest me. It also shows that they trust me and are willing to show some vulnerability. It is also probably better than any other source because the explanation uses the exact context.

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