Ask HN: Ex-Intuit Eng. Building Free Income Tax Software. Join Me?

15 points·ecolner··3 comments

I'm a well known developer in San Diego (where TurboTax is made). I spent the last 2 seasons on TurboTax as an engineer and learned how to make free software that still pulls revenue - about $20M at scale.

Looking to transmit returns for next year's tax season.

Interested in joining? Check the site & blog for more! http://taxcompactor.com

Email me: ecolner at gmail dot com

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Do you have any non competes or IP agreements with Intuit / Turbotax that could be potential liabilities down the road?

Of course. My IP attorney (Tennille Christensen) reviewed the whole situation and signed off on it. I have her written opinion in my inbox. There were particular IP issues around the name and the domain, but I avoided those by changing the branding from what I was thinking originally.

None of the core technology is related to my work at Intuit. I wouldn't steal that even if I was unethical and reckless... a lot of it predates the internet. But I know there's a business there and I know that there is lots of room to innovate.

I'm not a lawyer, but as far as I know the non-compete it's unenforceable in California, where I live. It would be unwise to recruit from Intuit in the first year though. That would be inviting a suit.

What types of roles are you looking for?

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