What the Urge to Leave a Cofounder Is Actually Telling You

"The impulse to leave a cofounder is often a signal about what's missing, not a verdict on the relationship. Resentfully staying connected to a cofounder generates friction that compounds across the business. Before deciding on whether to leave a cofounder, the real work is generating personal clarity."

"The question you're considering, 'Should I leave my cofounder?' is actually a legitimate and important one. If taken seriously, it can be one of the most clarifying experiences of a founder's career. It makes you look at what you're actually tolerating, and whether you still recognize yourself inside the challenging dynamic."

"Most of the time, what looks like patience is just the avoidance of a conversation you already know you need to have. When someone fantasizes about leaving, the more useful question is what this fantasy symbolizes—often revealing what is missing in the existing relationship."

Founders often experience a particular form of suffering when they feel done with a cofounder but fear the business consequences of separation. This unresolved tension creates an emotional loop that persists in the background, manifesting as resentment and avoidance rather than direct confrontation. The question of leaving a cofounder deserves serious consideration as a clarifying experience that reveals what founders are tolerating and whether they recognize themselves in the dynamic. Most founders avoid this conversation, instead venting privately and waiting for external circumstances to force a decision. Borrowing from therapeutic principles, the impulse to leave often symbolizes what is missing in the current relationship rather than indicating the relationship itself is fundamentally broken.

Read at Psychology Today