Should I fire this technical co-founder?

<p>I was in a similar situation, but didn't have the development background or knowledge to intelligently challenge him on it like you do. Bought into the delays and excuses until the bitter end.</p>

<p>Looking back, I can say that sticking with my developer, in spite of the clear signs, was the worst decision I made.</p>

<p>Don't be afraid to move on like I was.</p>

First find out if he has quit, that should be your biggest red flag. You should be able to call his job and ask for HR, just pose as mortgage underwriter looking for job verification.

If he has left, then the marriage stuff has put his and your priorities out of alignment. The neutral 3rd party is a good option.

Also, as a technical co-founder, I've run in to numerous technical people that can't "complete" a project or an MVP. Their brains don't work like a business with deadlines and orders needs to operate. The project is never complete and is always missing something.

Good luck. Keep your head up and keep grinding.

<p>It doesn't sound like an ideal situation, but you left out some key information. What's the current stage? Is it nearly complete? Has he given you a roadmap of any kind?</p>

<p>Have you discussed doing sprints?</p>

I like the 3rd party idea as well but it sounds like they're likely going to reaffirm what you've already felt and saw. How does this play out with IP and equity to-date?

Expect setbacks and struggles when doing a startup. So don't panic and do something drastic.

Yes, you made a mistake by letting it drag on so long. You're likely also at fault for communicating insufficiently about your expectations.

Mediation by a neutral 3rd party is a good idea, and it's unlikely to make matters worse.

So, there are two separate issues here. The first is that you have no way of monitoring the time spent by the tech guy. This is likely the real root of the problem--this person isn't actually working on your product. The second is that you think minimal front-end dev experience gives you insight into the full-stack process time; it doesn't. In fact, it probably gives your tech guy enough knowledge to talk around your concerns while placating your belief that you know enough.

I think it depends on your expectations. You could always hire thoughtbot or converted or any of the other hundreds of friend to take it in. Be prepared to spend some cash but you will at least have something to go with and they will also help you hire the next person at thoughtbot to take over after

Proceed cautiously: He who controls the code base (& the URL) controls the future outcome. Didn't you guys watch the Facebook movie?

First thing I would do: Get a copy of the code under whatever premise you can without causing him concern (say it's for a client to review, say it's in case he gets hit by a bus, whatever). If he's using Github, get added as a Collaborator, then you can download the code easily. If you go into "3rd party" or whatever discussion, if he has the code and you don't, then you really having nothing -- only ideas (maybe screenshots/mockups and contacts?)

Next, monitor his daily output on Github (as a Collaborator). This should've been a requirement from the start. He writes code; he commits code to Github each day; you review his work daily (although you may not understand it, you can still see progress). You can even get an email alert each time he commits new code.

Also, make sure you are the owner/Registrar of the URL (if you have one).

Tell him that because of the delays, you (both) need to have daily check-ins with each other on progress in order to move your project forward. 6-8 weeks was too optimistic. It's like building a house, the structure goes up quick (frame, windows, roof), but all the details take FOREVER.

You can look for other developers/teams (like Thoughtbot, EnvyLabs/CodeSchool, FullStackLabs, etc), but in the end you are just paying $150-200/hr for some other developer you have to manage (unless you want to pay even more for a "project manager". Those companies seem better suited for an existing company to outsource an entire project, not get a bootstrapped start-up launched (but it's been a while, so maybe I'm out of touch on this). Lastly, I am using a large offshore development company (not India) for about $32-$40/hour for good developers (Rails, .Net, etc)

My first dotcom was in 1990's. It's tough being the business person who can't write code, but you'll get there. Let me know if you want me to contact you directly for additional insights/suggestions.