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You do need a technical co-founder [video]

ycombinator.com

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Re: You do need a technical co-founder [video]

#211

Post by ethbr1 »

gary_0 wrote: post #205
ethbr1 wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The biggest business gap seems to be assuming other people won't screw you over, given enough money on the table and the opportunity. I assume most MBAs already know this. Lots of technical people learn the hard way.

> given enough money on the table and the opportunity. In my personal experience it was never even that much money. Some people just really want to feel like they've pulled a fast one, even if all they really end up doing is wasting everyone's time. As a nerd who is generally not motivated by Machiavellian shenanigans, I have a hard time seeing these kinds of predators coming.

> I have a hard time seeing these kinds of predators coming.

Just imagine other people's value functions are exclusively "What's good for me?"

At worst, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Re: You do need a technical co-founder [video]

#212

Post by vlod »

TuringNYC wrote: post #195
opportune wrote: post #129

Even this article IMO subtly demonstrates the mindset that leads nontechnical founders to not think they need a technical cofounder, by phrasing the search for one as “recruiting” as if they were a subordinate or code monkey. It should be a partner relationship, not a subordinate relationship. This mindset that technical cofounders are essentially “coders” (a term I hate) is very prevalent among inexperienced nontech…

>> It is very frustrating when some Ivy League 25 year old PM/management consultant tries to pitch you on their vision while treating you like an idiot savant they can easily take advantage of. I get calls weekly from people seeking technical co-founders. The biggest thing most CTO candidates dont realize is the power they have -- unless the "business co-founder" is actually bringing something to the table. I'd LOVE…

I've been burnt multiple times by this.

I think they believe in the "Build it and they will come" and then they just coordinate and tell you what to do afterwards, rather than making hundreds of cold calls (i.e. grinding).

Re: You do need a technical co-founder [video]

#213

Post by robocat »

kragen wrote: post #145
cmrdporcupine wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's interesting, how all this stuff is written for the biz-bros, too -- try doing a google search on how to find a non -technical cofounder. Like, say you're an eng, with a technical idea you think would make the foundation of a good startup, and you're looking for someone to "found" the PM/marketing/bizdev side of things. From what I can see, the content/advice doesn't exist, even via YCombinator.

why would you want a nontechnical cofounder to do the pm/marketing/bizdev side of things? a nontechnical person might be able to do those things, but technical ignorance or incompetence are not necessary for them, and aren't even assets; they're just less serious drawbacks there than elsewhere you might genuinely need some nontechnical people in your startup, but if you have some money you can always pay people to co…

You are undervaluing non-tech skills.

Ironic given that you are commenting on a vid where tech is undervalued; plus your comments are getting flagged for your communication skills.

I suggest you learn not to make the same mistake as those plonker non-tech guys.

Re: You do need a technical co-founder [video]

#214

Post by WendyTheWillow »

syrusakbary wrote: post #197

I'm a technical founder working in a deep-tech startup. If I am completely honest, I think the recommendation of having a technical cofounder while useful for startups in the past might not be as useful for the startups of the future. Why? I strongly believe AI will cause a paradigm shift, and I'll adventure stating that AI will make non-technical people be able to do more and more with less. Which will make the requ…

Having used LLMs to solve tech problems, I would not trust the current state, or even GPT5, to reliably solve anything other than the most trivial of trivialities.

Is the idea that in 2025, AWS will have an AI console where a non-technical founder types in what they want their site to do, and the LLM takes care of the rest? Register domains, build out the database/backend/auth/frontend, etc.?

I really can't see it happening in 2025, or 2035, without some pretty big leaps forward, the kinds of leaps that may never be possible.

Re: You do need a technical co-founder [video]

#215

Post by puniaviision »

csa wrote: post #196
opportune wrote: post #129

Even this article IMO subtly demonstrates the mindset that leads nontechnical founders to not think they need a technical cofounder, by phrasing the search for one as “recruiting” as if they were a subordinate or code monkey. It should be a partner relationship, not a subordinate relationship. This mindset that technical cofounders are essentially “coders” (a term I hate) is very prevalent among inexperienced nontech…

> This mindset that technical cofounders are essentially “coders” (a term I hate) is very prevalent among inexperienced nontechnical founders. I know I’m preaching to the choir here but a lot of technical people have deep industry/business/product knowledge and have social skills. It is very frustrating when some Ivy League 25 year old PM/management consultant tries to pitch you on their vision while treating you lik…

Do you work in private equity or something where you buy out businesses and run them?

I'm technically a type 3, but an idiot one that wasted a lot of time chasing sexy ideas with no connection real-world problems. Trying to get better now.

Re: You do need a technical co-founder [video]

#216

Post by paulryanrogers »

csa wrote: post #196
opportune wrote: post #129

Even this article IMO subtly demonstrates the mindset that leads nontechnical founders to not think they need a technical cofounder, by phrasing the search for one as “recruiting” as if they were a subordinate or code monkey. It should be a partner relationship, not a subordinate relationship. This mindset that technical cofounders are essentially “coders” (a term I hate) is very prevalent among inexperienced nontech…

> This mindset that technical cofounders are essentially “coders” (a term I hate) is very prevalent among inexperienced nontechnical founders. I know I’m preaching to the choir here but a lot of technical people have deep industry/business/product knowledge and have social skills. It is very frustrating when some Ivy League 25 year old PM/management consultant tries to pitch you on their vision while treating you lik…

I wonder where Sam Altman would (objectively) fit and where he and others think he fits.

Re: You do need a technical co-founder [video]

#217

Post by gnicholas »

sebmellen wrote: post #112
gnicholas wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely true. Of course, a non-technical cofounder probably knows more than just marketing. He may add a lot of value in terms of fundraising, product management, and other areas. Teaching all of these things to an engineer wouldn't be trivial.

Nonetheless, I think most business functions are more societally established, and for that reason they can be more easily outsourced. You can find a "pre-packaged" MBA, attorney, etc. because society is very good at churning out those roles. Just go the most recently graduated Wharton batch and hire the top grad for $300k, and you have someone who can do your legal, fundraising, operations, etc. It's much harder to f…

Sounds like a chicken-and-egg problem: how do you get the $300k to pay this Wharton grad? (And BTW, trusting a Wharton grad with legal work is a very bad idea — bschool teaches networking, not legal skills. Even a law school graduate would not be prepared to be the lawyer at a startup — 2+ years of relevant legal experience would be required.)

Re: You do need a technical co-founder [video]

#218

Post by vlod »

syrusakbary wrote: post #197

I'm a technical founder working in a deep-tech startup. If I am completely honest, I think the recommendation of having a technical cofounder while useful for startups in the past might not be as useful for the startups of the future. Why? I strongly believe AI will cause a paradigm shift, and I'll adventure stating that AI will make non-technical people be able to do more and more with less. Which will make the requ…

>working in a deep-tech startup.

I'm curious if you use it for non trivial stuff? I lot of people say it will take over, but I don't see many devs using it beyond simple stuff.

Re: You do need a technical co-founder [video]

#219

Post by m348e912 »

As someone who would be interested in being a technical co-founder (complete with my own seed money), I wonder if when they say technical co-founder, they mean programmer who can build a MVP or someone who can build a technical team and help solve technical problems.

Re: You do need a technical co-founder [video]

#220

Post by gumballindie »

opportune wrote: post #129

Even this article IMO subtly demonstrates the mindset that leads nontechnical founders to not think they need a technical cofounder, by phrasing the search for one as “recruiting” as if they were a subordinate or code monkey. It should be a partner relationship, not a subordinate relationship. This mindset that technical cofounders are essentially “coders” (a term I hate) is very prevalent among inexperienced nontech…

They types still didn't learn that google, microsoft and every single disruptor out there has been founded and brought to riches by technical people. Business minded folks survive for a while, make a few millions, but never reach the levels of these companies. Quite the contrary - companies of this level plunge once business folks dominate. But that's good. Once google's dead others will take its place, and will be likely founded by technical people.
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