After 18 long months, the product was finally live. Customers poured in. And then, all hell broke loose.
Held Hostage By a ‘Tech Partner’
This founder had launched a LinkedIn Content Creator app. Early users loved it, but the project had an Achilles heel.
The founder explains what happened next on a fascinating post on the SaaS subreddit.
A “tech partner” (also known as a dev shop) had built the product. Now, they were getting greedy.
Seeing the avalanche of sign-ups, the dev shop demanded more money than originally agreed.
When the founder refused, the dev shop ceased work and wouldn’t honor the agreement. That left the founder with a product he doesn’t understand and can’t maintain.
How Dev Shops Rip You Off
This, my friends, is why you don’t use dev shops.
These companies tend to be scam artists. They promise the world and don’t deliver. Then, they hold you hostage for more money whenever they please.
If you don’t do what they ask, they walk off with the code and leave you high and dry.
What Can This Founder Do?
So, what options does this founder have?
If he had a contract with the dev shop, he can try a legal letter or even a lawsuit. But frankly, since most of these dev shops are in foreign countries, it’s probably pointless.
He’s better off starting over, building a new product himself.
Building a product on your own used to be difficult without a technical background. But today, apps like Lovable, Replit and Cursor make it easy.
He should be able to hack something together in a week or so. And it might be way better than what that shady “tech partner” created!
How I Avoid Dev Shop Hell
As an investor, I want to avoid messes like this. So when I meet with a founder, I ask who writes the code for his startup.
If the answer is anyone outside the company, it’s an instant pass.
If you want to build a great business, you can’t count on sketchy people overseas to build your product. You need to do it yourself.
Wrap-Up
In today’s world, it’s never been easier to hack together a product. There are no more excuses.
Protect yourself against the misery this founder is dealing with. Ditch the dev shops and build it yourself!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
More on tech:
Should Startups Worry About Corporate Espionage?
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