

Ask HN: What's the difference between a cofounder and an employee? - elaineo

I&#x27;m more specifically referring to Asseta&#x27;s post (https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=7468549), which is seeking a technical cofounder even though they have already raised a seed round, validated the idea, and built a team of 6.
======
anthony_franco
It's completely arbitrary. But giving the title of cofounder might make them
feel more invested in the company. It'll be their "baby" as well.

~~~
xg
Second on: completely arbitrary.

If someone shows up in early days before a company has product market fit and
is one of the people that truly shapes the business, call them whatever you
want.

------
troels
I thought it was an odd choice of word too. They are looking for a CTO and
they are willing to give a lot of equity, because they are still early stage.
But I wouldn't call my self co-founder in that role.

------
pskittle
Most employee's don't get to set benchmarks , nor do they get >5% equity in a
already profitable startup.

------
freerobby
My distinction: you're a cofounder if you worked at any point in time for
nothing but equity.

~~~
SanjeevSharma
I think this is the best description, but with a qualification. No mater when
you joined the company, if you took no salary and got 'significant' equity,
then you _could_ be called a co-founder, especially you helped the company get
off the ground or make a significant pivot - like Elon Musk for Tesla.

I know folks who are on Founder Board of Advisors. They work/provide guidance
for sub-1% equity and no salary. They would never be called 'co-founders'

