Out of curiosity, what on earth was he doing for those 4 months in which he wrote less than 100 lines of code? I get the sense that he may have other issues going on besides a lack of enthusiasm for the project.
You're right, and that's part of the problem.
I don't know how to fix that-
First, there were health problems, then family problems, then burnout problems, then, then, then..
I keep helping him fix them, but I worry that we're not making progress. It seems like every problem I fix, there's 2 more waiting to show up behind it.
I expect that in our product. It's a fact of life. But I don't know how to deal with it in a founder, and worse, a friend.
I wish there were a way to keep going, and have each of us put in a real effort, but experience tells me that I can't trust that it'll happen..
Meanwhile, there are real bills to pay, and new competitors on the radar.
When you spoke to him on the phone, did you tell him all of your concerns like you have here?
From my experience when you spill your guts and explain to someone how the world looks from your perspective, people are normally sympathetic to your point of view provided you are being reasonable. I assume because he has been your friend for so long he's fairly reasonable too.
Did he refuse to be bought out? Does he understand your position?
In that case, my suspicion is that even the threat of a buyout isn't going to do any good in terms of motivating him. He really needs to go do something else, at least temporarily, to resolve whatever's going on in his life. Having him stay on helps neither of you, and as a friend and co-founder, he should recognize that.
When it comes to dealing with his share of the company, I can't claim to know how best to deal with these matters, but if he's made a significant contribution to the project overall, perhaps he could retain a reduced share in exchange for leaving the project early. (Someone tell me if this is a bad idea.)
As far as how to move forward, what will it take to complete the last 5%, and how tight is your current situation?
