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PayPal cofounder Max Levchin on what makes for the best cofounder relationships
Max Levchin co-founded PayPal with Peter Thiel in 1998. In the clip below, he describes what he believes made their co-founder relationship so special:
“The most successful cofounding relationships are very similar to the most successful marriages. What I think makes a marriage successful is when you and your partner grow together. You never wake up one morning and say ‘I’ve outgrown you’… My relationship with Peter was one where I always wanted to make sure that he thought I did the best I could. I was always trying to be the best possible co-founder for the guy because I could see that he was trying extra hard to do the best he could for me.”
As he mentions, this doesn’t mean co-founders will never fight. Max recounts the time Peter told him that if he didn’t ship something they were 3-months late on: “You can go find yourself another cofounder.”
Startups are intense.
But Max’s advice seems consistent with advice I’ve heard elsewhere:
The best co-founders constantly make each other better. Not only are their skillsets complementary, but immense respect for each other motivates them to be the best they can be and not let the other person down.