Founder Fridays No. 140
Taste -- Zuckerberg’s Emails About Failed Snap Acquisition -- Soft Is Hard
Happy Friday.
Taste
Forget "ship fast and iterate" — the most successful tech companies deliberately slow down for quality. Stripe delayed launches by weeks for design perfection while Linear explicitly measures success by craft, not velocity. Implementing taste checkpoints — like Stripe's 20% and 80% review meetings — ensures quality without sacrificing momentum. The best founders realize "micromanagement" around quality isn't a weakness but rather the discipline required for remarkable products that spread organically through delighted users. First Round Review (27 minutes)
Zuckerberg’s Emails About Failed Snap Acquisition
Reading Mark Zuckerberg's private emails reveals the fascinating psychological chess match behind Facebook's failed Snapchat acquisition. Zuckerberg escalated from $3 billion to $6 billion while his team meticulously strategized cash-versus-stock ratios, yet completely misread Evan Spiegel's consistent signals about valuing independence over immediate wealth. Even after multiple deferred phone calls and explicit statements about building independently, Facebook's leadership remained fixated on finding the magic number instead of respecting the fundamental truth. Sometimes founders genuinely value autonomy over immediate wealth — the highest-valued currency in tech might not be billions but control over your own destiny. Internal Tech Emails (7 minutes)
Soft Is Hard
Dismissing "soft skills" as secondary creates dangerously incomplete professionals ill-equipped for long-term success. Even in technical fields like business analytics, career advancement hinges not on running the right model but on explaining it clearly, managing teams under pressure and negotiating competing priorities. As artificial intelligence increasingly handles routine cognitive tasks, our distinctly human capabilities — empathy, ethical reasoning, cross-cultural communication — become more valuable, not less. The multiplier effect of these sophisticated skills turns technical competence into true leadership potential that no algorithm can replicate. Fast Company (4 minutes)
Founder FAQ: How Do I Compensate My Startup Advisors?
Blindly following "standard" advisor compensation packages leaves significant value on the table for both parties. The magic happens when you meticulously match equity grants (typically 0.25-1%) to specific advisor contributions — occasional guidance deserves less than hands-on operational involvement that drives measurable growth. Elite advisors with rare industry expertise command premium compensation, but founders should resist overvaluing famous names who contribute little beyond credibility. Two-year vesting schedules without cliffs have emerged as the industry standard, creating the perfect accountability timeline where monthly vesting maintains continuous advisor engagement without excessive long-term commitment. Westaway (4 minutes)
Startup Funding Guides
I’ve put together a series of guides to equip founders to excel at fundraising. These guides break down the deal term-by-term and give you negotiation tips so that you can speak to investors with confidence.
Convertible Note: Guide / Video
An Innovative Law Firm?
Being listed among Fast Company's “Most Innovative Companies” is an honor for our law firm, yet we believe innovation matters if it actually produces better outcomes for startups. Here’s how we’ve innovated to better serve startups:
Clear Pricing. Traditional billable hours can lead to misaligned objectives and unexpected fees. We've replaced this with straightforward, flat-rate pricing.
General Counsel. Most entrepreneurs want a trusted legal partner, but they hate surprise legal bills. At Westaway, we take care of your startup’s legal needs for a fixed, monthly fee so you can control your costs and focus on scaling your business.
Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI). We've streamlined our operations through automation and AI (where appropriate), ensuring efficient, high-caliber results.
If you’re an innovative startup looking for an innovative law firm, let’s talk.