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Ask HN: What do I do if my co-founder is playing video games?
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Re: Ask HN: What do I do if my co-founder is playing video games?
#2Personally, I would ignore it. If they're an over-performer and taking a brain-break then it won't affect their productivity. If they're a slacker anyway then it's a matter for management to solve. The larger problem would be if the person is an under-achieve, management knows, and they do nothing. In this case the video game playing is the symptom of an organization with management issues.
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if my co-founder is playing video games?
#3Personally, I would ignore it. If they're an over-performer and taking a brain-break then it won't affect their productivity. If they're a slacker anyway then it's a matter for management to solve. The larger problem would be if the person is an under-achieve, management knows, and they do nothing. In this case the video game playing is the symptom of an organization with management issues.
The player is the co-founder, not a co-worker. Does that change your recommendation at all?
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if my co-founder is playing video games?
#4As opposed to eating vegan sandwiches?
Fire him/her!
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if my co-founder is playing video games?
#5Personally, I would ignore it. If they're an over-performer and taking a brain-break then it won't affect their productivity. If they're a slacker anyway then it's a matter for management to solve. The larger problem would be if the person is an under-achieve, management knows, and they do nothing. In this case the video game playing is the symptom of an organization with management issues.
The player is the co-founder, not a co-worker. Does that change your recommendation at all?
Why should it? Founders aren't robots
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if my co-founder is playing video games?
#6Sounds like you are asking "What if my co-founder doesn't do everything exactly the way I want and I would do".
If you had asked, what if my co-founder is not meeting his/her obligations, then that is a different story regardless of whether they are playing video games or not.
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if my co-founder is playing video games?
#7Maybe have a vesting schedule for co-founders, and have concrete KPIs and deliverables.
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if my co-founder is playing video games?
#8join for some gaming for bonding and change of mood, let off steam if you need and get back to work!
also sleep well :)
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if my co-founder is playing video games?
#9They're probably just taking a break. time_sunk != output.
I "waste" time at work quite often but that's because I know when I am in certain moods of productivity. Forcing myself to work when I'm not in the mental state to do so is like beating a dead horse. Perhaps your co-founder also recognises this.
Have an honest discussion. Keep your concerns free from judgemental language; for example: "When I see you playing video games it makes me concerned about what your priorities are and I want to have a chat about it." If they're reasonable, they'll be straight with you. If they ascribe any judgement in your words (assuming you use non-judgemental language) then they're probably feeling attacked, in which case, I would de-escalate. The key thing here is empathy. If you handle the situation with decorum, and they do not, then you likely have more problems beyond your co-founder wasting time.
edit: coworker to co-founder
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if my co-founder is playing video games?
#10Context matters