| Lots of good advice. There are people who might say, "This is why you have think things through better in advance" but your situation is what it is. I'd also seriously consider whether his bad points could still be good for the company. (Zuckerberg clearly had an ego.) Also remember there is a cost for the divorce. If your contribution is 70/30, but you split the money evenly, the damage from the divorce may still be more than the benefit of finding a more equitable partner. (He may leave with all his equity, and perhaps some folks leave with him.) All that said, here's my advice: 1) You have to be mentally prepared to walk, and go do something else, because there is a good chance you won't be able to work with this person again. You also should be prepared to rebuild the company from scratch. 2) If you have a good enough relationship with your co-founder (and one that's worth preserving) you have to go to them and say, "I think this isn't working. Can we figure an equitable way out of this?" You may have to be the one that leaves. You have to be prepared to let him have a large chunk of equity. If you skip this step, you will have an enemy for life. (You should only skip it if you already have an enemy for life) 3) After step 2, you should contact the board member that's closest to you and tell them, "I'm considering moving on. Can we talk?" They will be savvy to know that something is up, and they can help make the call for which of you two will stay. 4) No matter what the outcome, conduct yourself professionally at all times. In the end, the code/passwords/money won't disappear. If your co-founder does something crazy when there are outside investors, his career is doomed. He may get angry, and you may get fired, but he won't so overtly steal. Good luck and let us know how it goes. |