Disclosure certainty 4/5 debate potential 1/5

Brian Lam traded Wirecutter's launch sponsorships for 65% equity and buyout rights

Brian Lam · Wirecutter: Brian Lam · Oct 10, 2022 · at 42:53

Brian Lam, founder of Wirecutter, explains how he structured his early publishing partnership with The Awl to finance Wirecutter while maintaining majority ownership and IP protection.

0:00 / 0:16exact quote · 16.6s
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“So I negotiated to give up all the launch sponsorship for 65% of the site, but I also had a clause in there saying that if I didn't feel like things were going well, I could basically leave and take the entire company with me.”

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Assertion Not checkable as stated
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Assertion Contradicted
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