I don’t think a 50/50 split is necessary, but whatever split you end up with has to make sense. Just because one person has a bigger personality isn’t a strong reason. If one person is quitting their day job first, or brings in partnerships on day one, etc, then it’s worth talking out. I’ve seen lots of great founder relations not 50/50, so don’t rule it out.
But ALWAYS HAVE VESTING. Repeat after me: always have vesting. I personally think cliffs always make sense because it takes time to make sure that a relationship is meant for the ages and that the other guys are as dedicated as you, but I’ve heard sound arguments for no cliff. Either way, always have vesting. It makes separations sooooooooo much cleaner and easier if the unfortunate happens.
this is interestingly in line with chinese traditional medicines perspective on reproduction. their theory is that it’s heavily based on the receptability of the egg and therefore it’s largely the mother who’s largely in control of things like gender selection. things like eating more acidic or basic foods affect the environment for the sperm to swim in and even the month of the mother’s life has an effect on what the egg would choose.
Fiction: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is beautifully written and I've recommended it to many people. I've gotten lost in Carlos' worlds over and over again, and the cemetery of forgotten books is mesmerizing.
Humor: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. I've recommended this to many friends who needed a good laugh. I don't remember another book that made me laugh so hard that I dropped the book.
Non-fiction: this one's a tough one because many good books are mentioned already, but two that I really enjoyed and have recommended in the last year are: Boyd by Robert Coram and How the Other Half Banks by Mehrsa Baradaran. Boyd tells the story about a brilliant but petulant air force pilot who rewrote the guidelines of US military aviation. How the Other Half Banks is an eye opening account of how broken our banking system is and the history of how we got to where we are.
Business: again, a lot of good books are mentioned already, but two I've enjoyed are Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg and Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. Both are fascinating books that'll leave you thinking about how to improve your own game.
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Bonus: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi is a tremendous piece. It's a short read but a must read!
