Comment by mystified5016

Being able to run a successful business and being a great engineer are two entirely separate and non-overlapping skillsets.

If you're trying to launch a business, you'll have no time for engineering. If you're the engineer, you have no time to run the business.

These are two entirely separate jobs that need to be done by different people.

I'm not strictly a founder, but I am the first real engineer this company has had. I love the work, but if I were also responsible for the business itself, neither job would get done. You'd have to be an exceptional superstar to do both.

Why become a founding engineer instead of starting your own business? Because you want to do engineering. The vast, overwhelming majority of people cannot do both.