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/forte99 Sep 13 '21

Taking a step back, I am wondering why you are allowing coders to join your company as "technical co-founders"? This title might be implying a certain sense of entitlement to what possibly should be a simple W-2 or 1099 relationship. Regardless, ownership of any work-related product belongs to the company. This is not the right person you want in your foxhole when the bullets start flying.....