Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore

Wow is this /r/relationships? This is more of a projection than any real advice.

"The product is too complicated", "The product isn't interesting", "it's been hard to retain developers" and the founder is burned out. To my casual viewing, it seems very like the founder is exercising too much control over the product.

Especially if the founder hates their job, and there is a revolving door for the developers -- the problem is not likely to be that the implementation is too boring. The problem is more likely to be that the work environment is stifling -- or there is a lot of conflict on the team.

My experience has been that in this kind of situation, the founder is afraid that the workers will fail. To be honest, this is very likely. However, allowing controlled failure is how you build a strong team. Rather than chucking the whole thing in the bin, why not start planning fun things that the team can fail on? If it kills the whole company, at least you had fun. If it doesn't, then you have built pillars on which you can build a platform of trust.

And yes, open the purse strings for at least 1 senior dev who can shoulder the load of fixing inevitable broken things.

Most co-dependency relationships are those in your immediate family.

source: had a father who was an alcoholic and had to learn this myself.

Sounds like you may want to take a sabbatical, which usually lasts 1-12 months and can be flexible. I suggest making it part of your acquisition arrangements.

Many professionals need a timeout to reset. Often they return to their current / new role refreshed, but sometimes they decide it's time to move on.

This is minor depression, related to your work. I would emphasize that your thoughts are not irrational or misplaced, no matter how much money is on the table or how the situation might look to an outsider. The fact that you are currently hiding it is also not abnormal. Your mind is unconsciously focusing energy on analysis of your problems and how you might solve them, and you may be on the edge of signaling for help, implied by the crying.

You’re tightly ensnared in an overly restrictive set of obligations. Perhaps it’s classic burnout from just plain working too much in a demanding role, or perhaps you have new ideas about how to make a living that would require new employment which is restricted by your LOI terms. Perhaps it's something else altogether or a combination of things. In any case, the symptoms are a direct response to these socially-imposed constraints hindering your pursuit of something more appealing, that in your view are beyond conventional means of renegotiation.

It would help immensely to talk with someone - therapist, your wife, etc - and help work through why you are feeling this way and what changes can be made to alleviate the mismatch. There are many good pieces of advice already in the comments here. Just remember that things cannot continue the way they are now without some kind of situational change (not drugs) or your symptoms will only get worse and more debilitating. Good luck.