[anon-acct]

Using a throwaway account to say this: be EXTREMELY careful picking your cofounder. Mine in my last venture was a close friend who had an extremely accomplished background. But he turned out not to have good ethics (ie, ended up stealing money!) and everything imploded. I even totaled my car because I was so upset as I came from a meeting with him, and my life was hell for a few months.

I don't blame myself because my cofounder had so many great attributes that he seemed like a good partner at the time, but still, I urge all of you to assume nothing and tread carefully when choosing a cofounder. Those worst case scenarios? They happen sometimes. :(

[adrianwaj]

Sounds like he betrayed you - took your loyalty for granted, or rather something he could use to his advantage. You have to be sensitive to ill-will. I can be nice to you for 2 years, but something then flips for 2 seconds and all those niceties came at a price. (well not me, but that's the line of thinking) Bait-and-switch, fineprint insertions, backoffice fraud can all happen in a moment, have lasting consequences and be basically irreversible within what would otherwise be a solid relationship. On the other hand, a relationship can be rocky but trust-worthy. Smooth-talking, flattery, over-attention: anything that boosts the ego will eventually come at a price, the question is what and when. It happens in families.