Co-founder Departure Benefits

Siqi Chen reflects on how his co-founder's departure, though initially unwanted, ultimately transformed the company by removing decision-making friction and accelerating progress.

Key Points:

• Co-founder Dynamics:

  • Had a co-founder named Aria Asim Anfar who left the company about 1.5-2 years ago
  • Aria is still on the board and Siqi describes him as "the most wise and high integrity person I've ever met"
  • Aria was one of Parag's peers at Twitter and now works for Brett Taylor at Sierra

• The Departure Decision:

  • "I didn't want him to leave"
  • Things were "slower to make decisions" when they were together
  • "Neither of us were having as much fun as we wanted to"
  • Aria identified that "it was him or our relationship slowing us down"
  • He decided to "fire himself" despite Siqi disagreeing with the assessment

• The Impact:

  • "He was right" - Siqi acknowledges Aria's assessment was correct
  • "He usually is right about just about everything"
  • The departure "totally transformed the company"
  • Implies the company moved faster and became more decisive after the transition

• Solo Founder Experience:

  • Now operates as a solo founder, which is "pretty rare" especially for an early-stage company
  • The change allows for faster decision-making and potentially more autonomy