> typically technical people are progressively marginalized as the business grows
I know three YC technical co-founders who were ousted by their CEOs, and a justintv alumn who got nothing from the follow-on exits. When YC says “you need a technical co-founder” they mean it like you need a disposable lawyer. The essay here is about targeting growth and flipping, not high-performance teamwork.
This does seem to be the pattern. I was a technical cofounder in one startup (not YC), even though I do have the chops and experience as a startup CEO. You have to focus so much on the tech and tech hiring early on that you are left out of a lot of the deal making and fund raising. It seems to slide you over into the same bucket as early employees pretty quickly.
I know three YC technical co-founders who were ousted by their CEOs, and a justintv alumn who got nothing from the follow-on exits. When YC says “you need a technical co-founder” they mean it like you need a disposable lawyer. The essay here is about targeting growth and flipping, not high-performance teamwork.