Excellent article by Elad Gil, outlining many points that are worth thinking about before deciding to work with someone. As I've mentioned in an earlier article, starting up with someone else can be fraught with peril, particularly if they're a friend. Together with my article, this checklist of questions could save you a lot of pain.
Here are the high-level points, but please read the full article to get the substance:
Key criteria for selecting a cofounder:
- Ability to communicate with each other. Can you have an honest and frank conversation with your cofounder?
- Alignment on key questions. What are their objectives? Why a startup? What do they care about in company culture? Who do they want to hire? How do they view investors? How ethical are they? What is your role versus theirs?
Elad also points out that you should be clear about who's in charge, or else your disagreements will freeze the company, that you should avoid starting up with someone with strongly overlapping skills, and that it's a big bonus to have known them for a few years and even worked together before.