Reading :Â How To Pick A Co-Founder
The presentation transcript here
Two is the right number - Think Jobs and Wozniak, Allen and Gates, Ellison and Lane, Hewlett and Packard, Larry and Sergei, Yang and Filo, Omidyar and Skoll.Â
The ideal founding team is two individuals, with a history of working together, of similar age and financial standing, with mutual respect. One is good at building products and the other is good at selling them.
Two founders works because unanimity is possible, there are no founder politics, interests can easily align, and founder stakes are high post-financing.
One founder companies can work, against the odds (Mark Zuckerberg,AdMob,salesforce)
In three founder companies, the politics can be toughâââgang-up votes, jockeying for board seats, etc.âââbut itâs manageable
Lastly, I would say that any time you have three people in a room together working on something, you get politics. Then it starts mattering who says it, how they position it and whether they can get two to gang up on the third.Â
The CEO also ends up having very diluted authority : because now he not only has to just command the respect of one person, he has to play a little bit of politics and keep everybody happy. So it ends up being a difficult management situationÂ
Four is an extremely unstable configuration and five is right out. When 4â5 founder companies work, itâs because two founders dominate
You wouldnât marry someone youâd just met. Date first
Criteria: Intelligence, energy, and integrity
Donât settle : If it doesnât feel right, keep looking. A companyâs DNA is set by the founders, and its culture is an extension of the foundersâ personalities.Â
when do I compromise? : I would say it's better to start alone and keep a slot open for the right co-founder to emerge than to pick someone and you're compromising.Â
Avoid overly rational short-term thinkers, There are bounds to rationality. Partner with someone who is irrationally ethical (Be especially careful with the âsalesâ guy here)
at least to be fair with other people and honest with other people. So you want to look for people who are honest and fair almost to a fault, where you almost worry about them, rather than worrying about yourself around themÂ
Build in founder vesting (a.k.a. the âPre-Nupâ) to keep the breakup from getting messy
 as a builder you ought to be able to sell, at least a little bit, and as a seller you ought to be able to build, at least a little bit, and that's one way to tellÂ
But you should have a general sense that this person is as smart as you, they're as capable as you, they're at least as driven as you, and that they're at least as exceptional of a human being as you believe yourself to be.Â
So don't fall into the trap where you say, well, he doesn't seem as smart, but that's OK, he's a seller. He doesn't need to be as smart. Or don't say, well, he's not as hard working, but he's a really good coder, he doesn't need to be as hard working. On the general values, this person should be as exceptional as you are.Â
And if they're not willing to come out without salary or extensive insurance and guarantees, then they're really more early-employee material than founder material (One mistake I did here is choosing salmon as founder when he wanted a life-jacket before he jump)