Being a founder is an absolute honor. I love it. But we don’t talk honestly enough about the weight of asking people to build their lives around something you’re still trying to make work. People take jobs, sign leases, buy homes, and start families with some expectation that the company you’re building will be there tomorrow. You carry that into decisions they’ll never even know you had to make. And after going through the hard years together, their success becomes deeply personal. You want the early employee to buy that house. You want the person who turned down a safer job to be glad they did. And you want the years people gave this company to change their lives for the better. That weight exists whether the ending is an exit or a shutdown. You love the company, and you love the people who made it worth building. You know you can’t guarantee everyone a great outcome.... but you still feel like you owe them one. @dens thanks for being so open, honest and candid about your journey.