Ask HN: Middle of project, side project raised money, what do I do?
Hey HackerNews,
I could really use some advice. I was hired by a major California company 6 months ago to work on a project that is now about 3/4 finished. Deadlines are fast approaching and I have an important role on the team and project. In short they are relying on me and not finishing this project would not be good for the team or company. In my free time I've been working on a side project with a single other person who recently closed a quite large seed round. Enough to work on it for a couple years, hire a number . The side project has no product overlap, I used my own machines and never used company time to work on this.
My cofounder, while ok with it, thinks that me staying with the big company is a risk to the startup because the company could make a claim despite us playing it by the book (again no product overlap, no company hardware, etc) and they think I should probably leave immediately. I will eventually do this but I feel bad leaving my company in a bind. I do care about these people. I could use some advice. Would be happy to add some more details if it would help but trying to leave it vague.
An open Ask HN community consultation from 2016 where @throwaway_1122 convened hundreds of developers and bootstrappers to share real experiences, hard numbers, and tactics.
Hundreds of active indie hackers contributed case studies, pricing heuristics, and pitfalls to avoid when moonlighting on side projects.
If your side project raised money, it's not a side project anymore. At this point you are working for two businesses. Be honest with yourself about your priorities, pick one of the businesses, and stick with it 100%.
If you go full time on the side project, your company won't miss you too much. On the other hand, if you continue to go full time on your company, you will have minimal time to devote to your side project, and your cofounder will miss your efforts. He will likely try to hire someone else who believes in the company enough to go full time. Clearly if the investors believe in it enough to give money, you should believe in it too. If you don't, then you're not cut out to be a cofounder.
Honestly, you need to move fast, because your side project is now a business. And if you're on the outside, you're position of "cofounder" will become increasingly harder to defend, the longer you spend not working there.
Edit: and I agree with those saying DO NOT TELL YOUR COMPANY ABOUT THE SIDE PROJECT. You gain nothing from that and have a lot to lose. If they discover that's why you're leaving before you actually submit your resignation, they can make the departure process much more difficult for you. They can threaten lawsuits against you and your new company -- even if totally unjustified -- in an effort to keep you working for them. You don't want to drag your cofounder into a messy situation. My advice: just submit your two weeks notice, keep your mouth shut, and have a clean departure. By the time they realize what your next move was, they won't care anymore.
Quit if your side projects seems like a better future for you.
While it's admirable that you feel for "a major California company", I can assure you that this company has no feelings for you. Just recently we've heard of major layoffs at Yahoo, IBM, Zenefits. Your company will have no regrets about firing you, mostly because a company is a legal fiction, not a person.
I would also disregard the advice of talking to the company. There's a huge discrepancy of power between you and a company so they can make your life miserable (a lawsuit) even if you didn't do anything wrong or do what you think is good for the company.
Also, the larger the company, the more risk averse they are, so forget negotiating some one-off deals with them (so that you can keep working for them at the same time as working on your project). You're probably over-estimating your importance to the company. They became "a major California company" before you ever joined and they'll remain such company after you leave.
Quit and don't look back.
It seems like the best thing for you and the company you work for is for you to let them know and give them the option of letting you split time at both companies or lose you completely.
You will definitely want to talk to a lawyer who can make sure you have your rear end covered in case your employer wants to get a lawsuit going against you, and get the employer to sign an agreement that you are free to your side venture without fear of getting sued as long as you keep your work separate from theirs.
If they think they need you, it would give them the opportunity to keep you around for a while. If they don't, you don't have to feel like you left them high and dry.
But DEFINITELY make sure that you have your ass covered legally if they decide to have you keep working with them!!!
Can you just get in honest communication with the company and discuss the problem? Perhaps arrange an official agreement that absolves you from this risk in exchange for the completion of your present project.
You're not that important, they'll survive. Give ample notice, maybe offer limited consultation for some period after. Talk to a lawyer.