Ask HN: Most of team quit my startup. What to do?

I'm the first employee at a startup that has been experiencing management issues. The two founders are often fighting each other for power. Both are micromanaging. We discuss new features, eventually prioritize, and create a sprint. Then, every couple of sprints, a new emergency happens and we switch it up to accommodate. This and general management issues have been stressing out employees, which we've all made clear.

After a lot of conflicts, the entire backend team eventually left, except myself. (A few frontend devs remain.) I'm experiencing the same issues, still. We're gearing up for a series A with maybe half a year of runway, so I feel like I should stay and help, but I often feel like I should also quit. I guess I'm looking for advice on how to either try to fix the situation, or options to leave with dignity.

What are you waiting for by staying?

I think, just being the first employee and the "rock" for other engineers (even though most have quit) leaves me feeling like I shouldn't just leave everyone high and dry.

Unfortunately, it sounds like the current company culture is toxic and most likely beyond hope of redemption. Unless you have

(a) enough influence with the company leadership to make a real difference to the culture in the immediate future

AND

(b) the company has good prospects if only the management issues could be resolved

AND

(c) the risk of staying is balanced by a huge potential upside for you personally (such as already having a potentially life-changing level of equity AND a bulletproof contract)

then I would suggest you make plans to leave as well. Loyalty is a fine character trait, but so is pragmatism. There's no need to burn bridges or screw anyone, just find a better option, give a reasonable amount of notice, and do what you reasonably can to hand over to whoever is taking over your responsibilities for as long as you're still there.

The company is not your sole responsibility. If the founders are making a mess, and it falls to you to make this startup work, you deserve a share of equity.

But do you really want to be co-owner if the founders are constantly arguing?

You are your own person. If it's time to leave, it's time to leave. I value loyalty, and if you first want to sit down with the founders and tell them to start doing their job, then do that. But if their mismanagement is destroying the company, there's little you can do to stop it. Unless you take over. Are there any outside investors? What leverage do they have?