Founder departure is the exit of a co-founder from a startup before company exit (sale, IPO, or shutdown). The departure triggers vesting consequences for the departing founder's equity (unvested shares typically forfeited or repurchased; vested shares typically retained subject to transfer restrictions), team-morale impact (these are highly visible departures that affect employee perception of company health), operational rebalancing among remaining founders and leadership (someone has to absorb the departing founder's responsibilities), and often investor concern (founders are part of the investment thesis; departures raise questions). The way the departure is handled often matters more than the departure itself in terms...