from Hacker News

Ask HN: Would you be worried joining a startup where the founders are dating?

by zachbee on 5/27/24, 7:50 PM with 6 comments

I recently interviewed to be an extremely early hire for a startup where the founders are romantic partners, but not yet engaged. I've always heard "investors are wary of startups founded by couples", but I've never heard advice for potential hires at startups founded by couples. How do you think should this affect my decision to join this startup or not?

For a bit of context, I know one of the cofounders somewhat well, but I've only met his partner / cofounder during the interview process. The role seems like a good fit and I like them both, but I'm just a bit wary about the dynamic here.

  • by rossdavidh on 5/27/24, 8:18 PM

    Who knows, being devoted to each other romantically might make them less likely to knife each other in the back if the startup looks like it might take off.

    Long story short, while it's not hard to imagine a problem, there are plenty of businesses owned by a couple who are romantically involved.

    Could it cause problems? Perhaps. But, it's a startup. You need to be prepared to bail with little notice, regardless, for any startup (because more or less by definition they don't offer much security), so I don't think this needs to be a top concern.

  • by johnny99k on 5/27/24, 11:16 PM

    This will only increase the risk of startup failure. It really just depends on how much risk you want to take.

  • by JSDevOps on 5/27/24, 7:52 PM

    Are they paying you? Does it matter?

  • by downrightmike on 5/27/24, 7:59 PM

    usually it just leads to subpar products