---
title: "Articles for founders - The Zeroic Journal"
description: "For founders: retainer vs full-time hire, rescuing a vibe-coded MVP vs rewriting it, and what senior engineering costs - with the numbers, from Zeroic."
url: https://zeroic.in/blog/topic/founders
---

[The Zeroic Journal](https://zeroic.in/blog)

# For founders

For founders · 3 pieces

The money and hiring decisions behind a software product: retainer or full-time hire, rescue or rewrite, and what each costs in year one. For founders wrestling with the hard, boring parts.

[ For founders

## [Fixed-price MVP development: the scope discipline that makes it work](https://zeroic.in/blog/fixed-price-mvp-development)

What has to be true about the scope for a fixed-price MVP to work, what it costs in 2026, and the red flags in any fixed quote.

Khushi Arora Sep 28, 2026 · 7 min read

[ For founders

## [Senior engineer retainer vs. full-time hire: the real math (2026)](https://zeroic.in/blog/senior-engineer-retainer-vs-hire)

What a US senior hire costs in year one, line by line, next to a retainer - and the four cases where hiring full-time still wins.

Khushi Arora Sep 26, 2026 · 7 min read

[ For founders

## [Code Rescue vs a full rewrite: the real math for vibe-coded MVPs](https://zeroic.in/blog/code-rescue-vs-rewrite)

How to tell whether your cracking Lovable or Bolt app needs a targeted fix or a clean rebuild, and what each one costs.

Khushi Arora Sep 25, 2026 · 7 min read

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