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Ask HN: What do I tell my co-founder when he asks access to the source code?

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Ask HN: What do I tell my co-founder when he asks access to the source code?

#1

Post by dudeofjude »

I have a bootstrapped startup. A co-founder has joined me recently, he is a front end guy, and inclined on learning the backend stuff.

I have put in 6 months of effort building the entire codebase and business. He keeps asking me access to the source code?

If I give access to it, I fear I might loose all that which I have created. If things are good, as of now, everything might work well, but in case of disagreement, I can't go to his laptop/dropbox/drive and delete all the codebase.

OTOH If I put a blatant no on his face, he might feel bad, and get a feeling that I do not trust him.

What shall I do in this situation?

Since the business has not picked up, all the worth that my startup has is the source code. Once I get customers, they will be my worth. So how do I go about it?

Re: Ask HN: What do I tell my co-founder when he asks access to the source code?

#2

Post by philipDS »

Since he is your co-founder (and you accepted him as such), shouldn't you trust him with the source code? Since he is also a front-end developer, shouldn't he already have access to the code base? :)

If you can't trust your co-founder with the code base, then I wouldn't even think of co-founding the business with him. Maybe you should re-evaluate that first.

Re: Ask HN: What do I tell my co-founder when he asks access to the source code?

#3

Post by matthewking »

Sounds like you may benefit from an NDA with a non-compete clause. These will give you a contract stating that your co-founder will keep your code secret and not use it to compete against you if the relationship turns sour in the future.

Links for reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-disclosure_agreement http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-compete_clause

Re: Ask HN: What do I tell my co-founder when he asks access to the source code?

#4

Post by dudeofjude »

philipDS wrote: post #2

Since he is your co-founder (and you accepted him as such), shouldn't you trust him with the source code? Since he is also a front-end developer, shouldn't he already have access to the code base? :) If you can't trust your co-founder with the code base, then I wouldn't even think of co-founding the business with him. Maybe you should re-evaluate that first.

I can't go on trusting someone straightaway. He is a front end guy, but heavily investing time in learning python and sys admin stuff.

He appears genuine to me, but still, one should be cautious and keep in mind and think for future, if something goes wrong, precautionary measures should be in place.

It will take some more time, and some sort of litmus test to validate if he is trustworthy. All that glitters is not gold, right?

Re: Ask HN: What do I tell my co-founder when he asks access to the source code?

#5

Post by [deleted] »

dudeofjude wrote: post #4
philipDS wrote: post #2

Since he is your co-founder (and you accepted him as such), shouldn't you trust him with the source code? Since he is also a front-end developer, shouldn't he already have access to the code base? :) If you can't trust your co-founder with the code base, then I wouldn't even think of co-founding the business with him. Maybe you should re-evaluate that first.

I can't go on trusting someone straightaway. He is a front end guy, but heavily investing time in learning python and sys admin stuff. He appears genuine to me, but still, one should be cautious and keep in mind and think for future, if something goes wrong, precautionary measures should be in place. It will take some more time, and some sort of litmus test to validate if he is trustworthy. All that glitters is not g…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What do I tell my co-founder when he asks access to the source code?

#7

Post by Eifrig »

adam-_- wrote: post #6

Why would you have a co-founder onboard whom you didn't trust with your codebase? It sounds like you either don't want a co-founder and just need a front-end contractor or you need embrace him/her as a co-founder and share your codebase.

I agree and would add front end guys and source code don't mix well anyway! Or is your front end guy called Bill?

Re: Ask HN: What do I tell my co-founder when he asks access to the source code?

#8

Post by sidcool »

philipDS wrote: post #2

Since he is your co-founder (and you accepted him as such), shouldn't you trust him with the source code? Since he is also a front-end developer, shouldn't he already have access to the code base? :) If you can't trust your co-founder with the code base, then I wouldn't even think of co-founding the business with him. Maybe you should re-evaluate that first.

I second your opinion.

Re: Ask HN: What do I tell my co-founder when he asks access to the source code?

#10

Post by dudeofjude »

adam-_- wrote: post #6

Why would you have a co-founder onboard whom you didn't trust with your codebase? It sounds like you either don't want a co-founder and just need a front-end contractor or you need embrace him/her as a co-founder and share your codebase.

Running it alone is pain, I can do things on my own, but that model does not scale. It takes too long. Besides I can't be expert at everything. So I need to add people with complementary skillsets.

I make sure people gel well with me, but you can't give everything you got to a new comer, no matter how genuine he appears, right?

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