> The idea was that not everyone will be sacrificing and committing equally and that it was better to figure that out upfront than have it play out down the line.
If you think you can figure out ahead of time who will be "less committed" or otherwise less deserving of equity, then either (a) you're fooling yourself, or (b) that person shouldn't be a founder.
I have friends with great skills who I want to work with at my startup, but none who I would really expect "founder" levels of commitment out of.
It seems that they agree: what we both really seem to want is that, after I get the business off the ground on my own, I just hire them for cushy jobs as employees. :)
If you think you can figure out ahead of time who will be "less committed" or otherwise less deserving of equity, then either (a) you're fooling yourself, or (b) that person shouldn't be a founder.