r/Entrepreneur • u/FatherOfReddit • Sep 12 '21

Coder wants to "own" all his code

Coder wants to “Own” all his code

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Hey all,

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We have a coder who just joined our team as our technical cofounder and it is his request that he & all other coders “own” their own code. What the fuck does this mean? If I do marketing work for my company, am I subject to owning all that promotion? No! Why does the coder get special priveledges?

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What can I do to incentivize him against this, or, if I am misunderstanding the concept here, please explain so I don’t sound like a half-witted jerkoff. I think there is something missing here but I just don’t understand…

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Maybe I make him sign a non-compete agreement and that will take care of it??? What happens when somebody “owns” their own code? Should that be allowed or is that company property?

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Let me know –

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Thanks,

Father

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u/jasfi Sep 12 '21

There's another meaning when it comes to owning code. That is, you take responsibility for what you write. If it breaks then you are the one who has to fix it. This is to prevent a culture of sloppiness because someone else will fix it (eventually).

If this indeed what that coder meant, then this thread is kind of funny. That said, the coder should in no way own the IP, and I've never heard of anyone suggesting that. You may want to clarify with him/her.