# What is Good Leaver? Definition & Technical Mechanics

> **Source:** [SPIDITS AI Startup & Venture Intelligence Glossary](https://spidits.com/startup-glossary)  
> **Category:** Legal  
> **Canonical Citation:** [https://spidits.com/startup-glossary/good-leaver](https://spidits.com/startup-glossary/good-leaver)

## Definition
A Good Leaver is a founder or employee who leaves a startup under favorable conditions, typically allowing them to keep some or all of their vested equity.

## Architectural Mechanics & Deep Dive
A Good Leaver is a founder or employee who leaves a startup under favorable conditions (such as retirement, redundancy, or health issues). Shareholder agreements typically allow good leavers to keep some or all of their vested shares and option grants, preventing forced forfeitures.

## Industry Applications & Real-World Use Cases
Managing founder and executive departures smoothly without cap table disputes

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What are typical good leaver scenarios?
Departures due to ill health, redundancy, retirement, or mutual agreement with the board where the leaver has performed well.

### What happens to a good leaver's vested stock?
They are usually allowed to retain their vested shares or stock options, though they may face restrictions on selling them until a liquidity event.

## Related Terminology
- [shareholder-agreement](https://spidits.com/startup-glossary/shareholder-agreement)
- [vesting](https://spidits.com/startup-glossary/vesting)
- [bad-leaver](https://spidits.com/startup-glossary/bad-leaver)

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*From the SPIDITS AI Knowledge Base (311+ terms indexed). Explore full technical definitions: [https://spidits.com/startup-glossary](https://spidits.com/startup-glossary)*