They say you should never mix business with pleasure. Conventional wisdom warns that friends make for terrible business partners and that working with a spouse is a recipe for disaster. This isn't just a saying; it's a stark reality backed by data. In a landmark Harvard study of nearly 10,000 tech founders, Professor Noam Wasserman found that teams of friends were the least stable, with each friendship increasing the rate of founder turnover by a staggering 28.6%.
As organisational psychologist Adam Grant notes, despite this risk, we naturally turn to our friends—the people we trust most—when launching a new business. This creates a powerful paradox, leading to John D. Rockefeller's famous observation that:
"A friendship built on business can be glorious, while a business built on friendship can be murder.”
Yet, some of the most innovative and valuable companies in the world were built by defying these very odds. The following stories showcase the visionary couples and devoted friends who not only survived the statistics but thrived, proving that the right partnership—built on deep trust and a shared vision—can be the ultimate competitive advantage.
So, what does it take to build a multi-billion dollar tech empire? Often, it starts with the right partner. Check out our list of the 10 most influential partnerships that changed the world.
1. Cisco Systems
Image source: InternetSearchInc
How They Met
Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner were a married couple working at Stanford University in the 1980s—he in the computer science department, she at the graduate school of business.
What They Achieved
Frustrated that their respective departments' computer networks couldn't communicate, they designed the first multi-protocol router in their living room. This device effectively allowed different networks to "talk" to each other, solving a key problem that enabled the internet to scale. Cisco grew into the undisputed world leader in networking hardware.
Why the Partnership Worked
Their partnership was born out of a shared professional problem. They were a true power couple who combined their expertise—Bosack's hardware skills and Lerner's management of the computer systems—to create a practical solution. Their shared goal and complementary roles allowed them to turn a workplace annoyance into a world-changing technology.
Key Partnership Lesson
Forget trying to dream up the next billion-dollar idea. The most powerful businesses are often born from a shared, nagging frustration. When two people look at a problem they both experience daily and realise they have the exact complementary skills to fix it, they're scratching their own itch, which is the most authentic starting point there is.
2. Eventbrite
How They Met
Julia and Kevin Hartz were a married couple with experience in the tech industry, including at PayPal and MTV.
What They Achieved
In 2006, they launched Eventbrite with a simple mission: to democratise ticketing. They built a self-service platform that allowed anyone, from a yoga instructor to a music festival organiser, to create events and sell tickets online. Eventbrite became the go-to global platform for live experiences.
Why the Partnership Worked
They brought a perfect blend of complementary professional skills to their personal partnership. Kevin had a deep background in product and early-stage tech, while Julia's expertise was in marketing and business strategy. This clear division of labor, combined with the inherent trust of their marriage, created a balanced and effective leadership team that scaled the company globally, with Julia eventually taking the helm as CEO.
Key Partnership Lesson
In any partnership (especially a marriage!), you can't both be the CEO of everything. The Hartz's success came from respecting each other's turf. Kevin was the product and tech guy; Julia was the marketing and strategy brain. It's the ability to say, "This is your domain, I trust you to crush it," that allows a partnership to scale without collapsing into ego battles.
3. Canva
Image source: The West Australian
How They Met
Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht were students at the University of Western Australia. While dating, they started their first business, Fusion Books, to make designing high school yearbooks easier.
What They Achieved
Fusion Books was the testing ground for a much bigger idea: a design platform for everyone. After years of rejection from investors, they launched Canva in 2013. The platform's radical simplicity empowered millions of non-designers to create professional-quality graphics, presentations, and documents, turning Canva into one of the most valuable software companies in the world.
Why the Partnership Worked
Their success is a story of incredible vision and perseverance, built on the foundation of a long-term personal relationship. Perkins held the ambitious vision for a decade, relentlessly pursuing it. Obrecht provided the operational and business execution to bring that vision to life. Their shared trust and commitment allowed them to overcome immense early challenges.
Key Partnership Lesson
Anyone can have a great idea, but very few have the guts to stick with it for a decade. Their story shows that a world-changing vision is only half the battle; the other half is having a partner with the operational grit to show up every single day, especially after the 100th rejection.
4. Apple
Image source: Forbes
How They Met
Steve Wozniak, a brilliant and prank-loving electronics engineer, and Steve Jobs, a visionary and intense younger friend, were introduced by a mutual acquaintance in 1971. They bonded over a shared love for technology and pulling pranks, like creating "blue boxes" that could make free long-distance phone calls.
What They Achieved
From Jobs' garage, they launched the personal computer revolution. Wozniak single-handedly designed the Apple I and the groundbreaking Apple II, while Jobs masterfully marketed them. This duo created the world's first trillion-dollar company, forever changing the personal computer, music, and mobile phone industries with products like the Macintosh, iPod, and iPhone.
Why the Partnership Worked
It was the perfect fusion of the engineer and the evangelist. Wozniak possessed the technical genius to build products that were years ahead of their time, but he lacked the desire to market them. Jobs had an unparalleled ability to understand what consumers wanted before they did, and he could package and sell a vision like no one else. Wozniak built the engine; Jobs built the car and sold the world the dream of driving.
Key Partnership Lesson
Technology without artistry is just a tool, and a vision without the engineering to back it up is just a dream. This is the classic partnership model for a reason. Wozniak could build a flawless technical marvel, but Jobs knew how to wrap it in a story and make you feel like you needed it. One gave the product its brain; the other gave it a soul.
5. Microsoft
Image source: On this Day
How They Met
Bill Gates and Paul Allen were childhood friends who met at Lakeside Preparatory School in Seattle in the late 1960s. They spent countless hours together in the school's computer lab, teaching themselves to code and dreaming of a future where computers would be ubiquitous.
What They Achieved
In 1975, they dropped out of university to create a BASIC software interpreter for the Altair 8800, the first personal computer. This was the birth of Microsoft. Their masterstroke was licensing their MS-DOS operating system to IBM, which set the standard for the PC industry. With Windows, they put "a computer on every desk and in every home," becoming the undisputed kings of software.
Why the Partnership Worked
Their partnership was built on a shared, obsessive passion and complementary long-term visions. Gates was the deeply focused coder and relentless businessman who drove the company's competitive strategy. Allen was often the one with the initial creative spark and the ability to see future technological shifts. Together, their shared intellect and ambition were unstoppable.
Key Partnership Lesson
Every great partnership needs an engine and a compass. Gates was the engine—relentlessly focused on the code, the competition, and winning the immediate fight. Allen was the compass—always looking over the horizon, spotting the next big wave before anyone else.
6. Google (Alphabet)
Image source: Inc Magazine
How They Met
Larry Page and Sergey Brin met in 1995 as Ph.D. students in computer science at Stanford University. Legend has it they didn't like each other at first, finding one another’s ideas "obnoxious." However, their intellectual debates soon led to collaboration on a research project to solve the web's biggest problem: finding relevant information.
What They Achieved
They developed the PageRank algorithm, which ranked websites based on their inbound links—a revolutionary idea. This algorithm became the backbone of Google Search. Their company "organised the world's information," became a verb, and grew into Alphabet, a global technology conglomerate that dominates search, advertising, mobile (Android), and cloud computing.
Why the Partnership Worked
Theirs was a partnership of academic curiosity and immense ambition. They shared a core belief in using complex algorithms to solve massive problems. Page was often the lead visionary behind the product, while Brin, a math prodigy, was crucial in developing the underlying technology. They fostered a unique, data-driven culture that attracted the world's best engineering talent.
Key Partnership Lesson
The strongest bonds are often forged not in agreement, but in rigorous, intellectual debate. They didn't start as best friends; they started as two brilliant minds who challenged each other. Their partnership worked because they shared a massive, world-changing goal and, more importantly, a deep respect for each other’s ability to think. They knew that together, they were smarter than anyone else in the room.
7. Facebook (Meta)
Image source: Marketing Mind
How They Met
The founders were a group of friends and roommates at Harvard University. Mark Zuckerberg, a coding prodigy, was the central figure, and he worked closely with friends like Dustin Moskovitz (who helped with engineering) and Chris Hughes (the spokesperson), with initial funding from Eduardo Saverin.
What They Achieved
In a Harvard dorm room in 2004, they launched a social network that would go on to connect billions of people. Facebook fundamentally changed communication, media, and society itself. The company, now Meta, acquired Instagram and WhatsApp, and is now pioneering the development of the metaverse.
Why the Partnership Worked
The initial success was fuelled by the intense, collaborative energy of a university environment. The group possessed a mix of essential skills: Zuckerberg's programming and vision, Moskovitz's engineering support, and Saverin's early business acumen. They were building a tool for themselves and their peers, giving them a native understanding of their target audience.
Key Partnership Lesson
The ultimate unfair advantage is building something for your own community. The Facebook founders weren't guessing what college students wanted; they were college students. This gave them an intuitive, almost psychic, understanding of their audience that no amount of market research could ever replicate. They built the product they wanted to use, and it turned out everyone else wanted to use it too.
8. Atlassian
Image source: Software Report
How They Met
Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar met while studying at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. They decided to start a company not because of a grand vision, but because they wanted to avoid a traditional corporate job while still earning a competitive salary.
What They Achieved
On a $10,000 credit card debt, they founded Atlassian in 2002. Their project management tools, Jira and Confluence, became the industry standard for software developers and corporate teams worldwide. They built a multi-billion dollar company famous for its unique "no salespeople" model, focusing entirely on product-led growth.
Why the Partnership Worked
Theirs is one of the most famously stable and ego-free partnerships in tech. They share a deep mutual respect, a down-to-earth attitude, and a commitment to a healthy company culture. They operate as co-CEOs, trusting each other implicitly and sharing a pragmatic vision for building useful products that customers love.
Key Partnership Lesson
People think startups are about complementary skills, but they're really about aligned values. The Atlassian guys are famous for their ego-free, no-nonsense partnership. They agreed on the kind of company they wanted to be and the culture they wanted to build from day one
9. Hewlett-Packard (HP)
Image source: The Wallstreet Journal
How They Met
Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard became good friends while studying engineering at Stanford University in the 1930s. A post-graduation two-week camping trip solidified their bond and their desire to start a business together.
What They Achieved
In 1939, with $538 in a Palo Alto garage, they founded HP. They are considered the founding fathers of Silicon Valley, creating one of the world's first high-tech companies and a management philosophy known as "The HP Way," which influenced generations of entrepreneurs.
Why the Partnership Worked
Their partnership was built on a foundation of shared values and engineering excellence. They believed in empowering employees and managing with objectives, not orders. Packard was often seen as the astute business manager, while Hewlett was the passionate engineer and innovator. This balance of business acumen and technical brilliance created a culture that endured for decades.
Key Partnership Lesson
It's not enough to agree on what to build; you have to agree on how you'll build it. Hewlett and Packard created a management philosophy—"The HP Way"—that was their true product. Their shared belief in how to treat people and foster innovation was a cornerstone that created a culture of loyalty, proving that a company's internal philosophy is its most enduring legacy.
10. Airbnb
Image source: StartUp Talky
How They Met
Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia were classmates at the Rhode Island School of Design before becoming roommates in San Francisco. Their shared background in design proved crucial to their future success.
What They Achieved
To make rent in 2007, they inflated air mattresses and turned their apartment into a makeshift B&B for a design conference. This simple idea grew into Airbnb, a platform that disrupted the global hotel industry and created a new category of travel. They built a community of millions of hosts and guests centered on the idea of "belonging anywhere."
Why the Partnership Worked
Their shared design background meant they were obsessed with the user experience. They didn't just build a website; they designed a place where strangers create trust. Chesky provided the bold vision and strategic leadership, while Gebbia drove the product and brand identity. Their hands-on, creative problem-solving defined their success.
Key Partnership Lesson
When you share a unique way of seeing the world, it becomes your greatest strategic weapon. As designers, Chesky and Gebbia didn't just see a business problem; they saw a design problem. How do you design a system of trust between strangers? How do you design a sense of belonging? This creative vision help built a solution that was fundamentally more human than any competitor could imagine.
Wrap Up: Your Partnership Is Your Greatest Asset
The lesson from every story you've just read is simple: the right partner changes everything.
The lesson from every story you've just read is simple: the right partner changes everything. These days, that principle hasn't changed. What’s more, it has even scaled. Your next breakthrough won't come from a single co-founder, but from a powerful network of partners.
Your legendary partnership awaits.