A founder breakup is the dissolution of a cofounder partnership through the acrimonious departure of one or more founders, as opposed to a mutually-agreed transition. Founder breakups have significant consequences for company operations (someone has to absorb the departing founder's responsibilities), equity allocation (founder vesting, repurchase rights, and sometimes negotiated buyouts come into play), team morale (these are highly visible departures that shake employee confidence), board governance (potentially affecting investor relationships and board composition), and ongoing personal relationships (cofounders who were close friends often emerge as estranged or hostile parties). It is the worst-case outcome of a cofoun...