Meeting
Chris LaFay / Anil Gupta 1:1
Gist
Standing 1:1 with Anil Gupta, mostly about the Aslam buyout standoff: Aslam's attorney formally rejected Anil's buyout offer and countered with an offer to buy Anil out instead, pushing both sides toward a third-party valuation and possibly Delaware Chancery litigation. Anil is retaining a Delaware attorney and trying to get a private in-person meeting with Aslam. They also spent significant time on a 'start over' thought experiment about what a lean, AI-era agency of 2-3 senior people would look like, and Chris shared that a Florida agency owner informally floated bringing him on for his strategy/network skills rather than web dev. They locked in a planning call for July 9 at 9am ET ahead of Chris's in-person visit.
Distilled from the transcript by claude-sonnet-5 · Jul 25
What came out of it
Decisions4
- Anil will retain a Delaware attorney this week instead of relying solely on Blue Sky counsel.
- Anil will proceed with a third-party company valuation as the next step.
- Chris and Anil scheduled their pre-trip planning call for July 9 at 9am Eastern.
- They agreed to have at least one dinner together during Chris's visit, with Chris free to schedule a separate evening with a friend in DC.
Risks and blockers4
- Aslam's attorney's formal response signals preparation for litigation, possibly in Delaware Chancery Court, which Blue Sky may not be equipped to handle.
- Aslam is increasingly obstructing daily decisions and creating friction with other team members.
- Aslam may not have viable financing (SBA loan, Canadian lender) to buy Anil out even if he wanted to.
- Uncertainty over whether Aslam will get attorney permission to meet Anil in person.
Open questions5
- Will Aslam's attorney permit an in-person meeting between Anil and Aslam?
- What will the third-party valuation determine about Multidots' actual worth?
- Could Aslam actually secure financing to buy Anil out given his Canadian residency?
- What would Chris's or Anil's 'start from scratch' company look like in an AI-driven market?
- Will Chris explore joining or partnering with the Florida agency owner who approached him?
Next steps5
- ClientRetain a Delaware-based attorney to handle potential litigation.
- ClientReach out to Aslam again to propose an in-person meeting.
- ClientContinue building a list of agenda topics for the in-person visit, including the 'start over' thought experiment.
- UnassignedHold planning call on July 9 at 9am Eastern to finalize the in-person visit schedule.
- MeDecide on dinner plans and possibly reach out to a DC contact for one free evening.
A record of what was agreed, not a task list — nothing here was scheduled.
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