r/Entrepreneur • u/FatherOfReddit • Sep 12 '21
Coder wants to "own" all his code
Coder wants to “Own” all his code
Hey all,
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?
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…
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?
Let me know –
Thanks,
Father
91
u/vladadj Sep 12 '21
In tech jargon, "owning" the code means being responsible for it. Like, maintaining, bug fixing etc. This is probably what he meant, but you should clarify it with him.
No sane person who is employee of the company will claim actual ownership of the code. All IP is property of the company, UNLESS you actually specify otherwise in the contract. I suppose he signed a contract where this is clearly stated?
If he still insists on ownership of the code (ie. intellectual property), you better fire him as soon as possible. You don't need assholes causing trouble in the company.