[sudonim]

Do most YC S12 companies have a legal department? Or a finance department for that matter?

Im sure this particular situation is nuanced, and both parties seem to be unhappy. I haven't worked with many contractors yet, but my 2 rules of thumb are:

Don't ask people to do work for you unless you plan to pay them for it.

Pay promptly and in full.

It's pretty simple. If the CEO was never planning to pay, the conversation shouldn't have gotten that far and the contractor shouldn't have had the idea that they should go and make something.

[tptacek]

Most companies don't have "legal departments"; they have outside counsel they retain for random stuff. Like this.

The onus was on the vendor to actually submit the invoice to the email address the CEO said to send it to. That's not a hardship. Try invoicing a Fortune 500 company for the first time. Goat sacrifice may be involved.

Note that I have no idea at all whether he actually did do that.

In the real world, it is actually allowed to question an invoice. You probably end up paying regardless, but you are in fact allowed to ask the questions.

[dctoedt]

> Goat sacrifice may be involved.

Thomas, this is a fine example of why I've got your comments bookmarked (and Patrick's too): At least every couple of days or so, I can count on you not just for insight but for a laugh too.