I sure hope you're getting a big chunk of equity as the technical co-founder.
On top of that, being the only technical person and have full control over everything, including domains, hosting, code, etc. It's not really like I can be forced out.
You were paid for those things. You can't hold them ransom.
That you don't know pretty much guarantees you have zero legal control. I assume the corporate entity is not in your name. Domains, hosting, etc are all very easily gotten from you by a single letter from a lawyer. You will likely hire your own lawyer, and you'll essentially be paying him to tell that you have to cough up, because you'll lose in court, in addition to tens of thousands of dollars and a ruined reputation.
Holding this stuff hostage would not work out well and should not be considered a contingency plan.
That means you're not.
> I've taken reigns and made all the decisions.
For which they are well within their rights to pay you $0 for upon termination.
> I will become the CTO and co-founder of this company when it launches.
Then it should be no trouble to get that in writing to protect yourself.
Read this tweetstorm: https://twitter.com/patio11/status/710191728763015169
But at least I ended up with some interesting stories to tell when I interviewed for my next job.
Seriously, you're putting a lot of faith in people who have every reason to screw you over. Even if they seem like they're on your side now, things change. In a couple of years when there's the genuine prospect of real money, there's a big risk that their attitude will change.
Or when you start saying "no" to impossible deadlines you'll see who actually makes the decisions.
And you are replaceable. They can make you feel good by getting you to hire a few people, and then encourage you to train them up and hand things over so you're not a key person risk, and then they don't need you any more.
Or maybe they'll just make a really dumb decision and get rid of the person that actually held everything together for all that time without having a sensible plan for the future. It happens. And that feeling of vindication when you watch it all fall apart without you doesn't make up for all the money you gave up when you gave them a "we're all in this together" discount on your wages.