Seven Developers - a non technical founder's search the One

That's an insane ride. Bad luck is one possibility, but 6 developers... Jeez, that almost has to be something being done wrong. He does admit at one point that he wasn't doing enough to try to keep good talent.

Programmers aren't really primadonnas, but they will leave if they don't think they are being treated right or fairly. (That isn't to say they ARE being treated poorly, jst that they think they are.)

For instance, I left my last job after 2 bad raises and a vague promise that salaries would be 'fixed' sometime later in the year. I was told that if I was 'really serious' I should see my boss's boss about it. I chose the other direction. And I make a lot more money now.

To be fair, I loved my job in both companies. It was only the unfair salary policy that drove me away. Now that company is forced to try to hire someone as good as me for less than they are worth, or pay them what they could have paid me but without my 5 years of experience with their systems. It's lose-lose for them.

The site covered a lot but there were a few things I think it failed to cover in all this hunting for a cofounder. What value was he bringing to the table beyond the idea and outsourcing for those he was willing to vest as a true cofounder or even early engineer with or without salary. The biggest thing most tech guys want is a competent cofounder. While he did mention he tried to pick up some technical stuff, there was no mention of any other businesses skills whatsoever i.e. legal, hr, marketing/distribution, etc etc etc... about the only thing he mostly proved is he can't retain talent so hiring and recruiting is probably not one of his strong suit.

There's also no talks about the process to which he determines how the product works (essentially product management, UX, etc..) for all the stuff he's outsourcing.

I would love to hear experiences about outsourcing from other non-tech guys. I have been debating as I wait for a couple developers I know to leave their jobs and come on in a more full time capacity.