How Jack and I Turned a Bad Startup Into a $780M Exit
Right out of college, I joined a startup. Within a month, they stopped paying my salary due to “cash flow issues.” One of the co-founders was overseas, and the founders had only met a few times. The tension and misalignment between them were obvious—and it made the situation worse. Dysfunction at the Top It reminded me of couples who believe having a baby will fix their problems. Startup founders do the same: they hope raising money or hiring someone new will magically solve dysfunction. Unfortunately, I was that new hire. When I reviewed the accounts, I discovered company funds were being siphoned by the remote co-founder. Everything Falls Apart When confronted, the co-founder locked us out of all accounts. My boss, Jack (the local founder), was also a victim. Together, we poured every dollar of new revenue into legal fees. The deeper we went, the clearer it became: a lawsuit would drain us completely. A Better Idea Someone gave us the best advice: stop chasing the lawsuit and start b...