My guess at Eliezer’s relationship with Arbital was similar to the relationship between a professor and one of their grad students, or the head of a large video game publisher and the head of an individual project. I.e. someone who doesn’t actively work on the project, but sets a large part of the tone and vision and has general veto right over how the project succeeds.
the relationship between a professor and one of their grad students, or the head of a large video game publisher and the head of an individual project
In both these cases, the first person is the formal superior of the second, and has the power to make decisions regarding the second’s continued employment (or lack thereof)—which authority is the source of their “veto right” over their subordinate’s project.
No such formal relationship existed here… did it? Again, my question concerns Eliezer’s official role in the project.
I can’t comment on the official relationship, so I won’t be of super much help here.
I think that for all intents and purposes Eliezer did indeed have the power to end the project if he wanted to, as well as to return the funds to investors. I don’t know the legal relationship between Eliezer and Arbital, though I don’t think that mattered particularly much. Though obviously Alexei should correct me if I am wrong here.
One thing that’s not clear to me:
Alexei, you mention that you were a single founder, i.e. Arbital was your startup.
What was Eliezer’s role, officially? Was he an investor? Or what?
My guess at Eliezer’s relationship with Arbital was similar to the relationship between a professor and one of their grad students, or the head of a large video game publisher and the head of an individual project. I.e. someone who doesn’t actively work on the project, but sets a large part of the tone and vision and has general veto right over how the project succeeds.
In both these cases, the first person is the formal superior of the second, and has the power to make decisions regarding the second’s continued employment (or lack thereof)—which authority is the source of their “veto right” over their subordinate’s project.
No such formal relationship existed here… did it? Again, my question concerns Eliezer’s official role in the project.
I can’t comment on the official relationship, so I won’t be of super much help here.
I think that for all intents and purposes Eliezer did indeed have the power to end the project if he wanted to, as well as to return the funds to investors. I don’t know the legal relationship between Eliezer and Arbital, though I don’t think that mattered particularly much. Though obviously Alexei should correct me if I am wrong here.
Advisor.
Is it common for an ‘advisor’ to have such pervasive and far-reaching control over what the founder of a startup does…?
No.