[mhd]

Is the speed of hiring and firing programmers really that much of an option? I know that Germany has some rather old-fashioned laws about that, so it's hard to get rid of someone fast. But when we're talking about the usual startup fare, the legal ramifications and a few months of pay are probably the least of your problems.

Or to put it another way, if it isn't a problem, it's likely that your product sucks.