I’m a startup retiree (Yeah, that’s just how I feel right now). I had a Zoho account. These accounts are a rare commodity in Russia: creating a new one is nearly impossible due to sanctions — registration requires a phone number, and our country isn’t supported. Zoho’s products? Solid, reliable, and actually enjoyable to use.
Then things got messy.
Step 1: Helping a Startup
I became an advisor for Sobixel, a fork of Solar 2D that Leo Ganin had been developing solo for four years.
I kindly offered my Zoho account to set up their corporate email. After configuring the domain:
Domain: sobixel.com
… I added Leo as an administrator with full rights. Easy.
Dev note: Never give anyone administrator rights equal to or higher than yours. It can push people toward illegal actions.
Step 2: Conflict Happens
After a disagreement, Leonid decided the account was his. He removed my email — I got a notification with a screenshot.
Then came the full takeover:
New name → the one I came up with
Logo → designed by me
Website → developed by me
*Equity *→ 2.5% immediately + 2.5% vesting over a year → “forgot” to transfer
Classic startup drama.
Dev note: Treat IP, logos, and code like source control — ownership should be documented.
Step 3: Zoho Said “Not Our Problem”
Zoho support sided with Leo. Since the domain:
sobixel.com
… belongs to him, proving anything seemed impossible.
I still had login + password for the domain registrar in Chrome. I could have replicated the special Zoho settings, but… why bother? I’m law-abiding, not a hacker.
Step 4: Enter the Police
One option remained: file a police report.
The plan (theoretical for now):
Police request data from *two ISPs *— mine and Leo’s (Zoho support emails include his IP).
Compare deletion timestamp + Leo’s online activity.
My ownership is backed by my sessions on Zoho services before the account was created (~Oct 5, 2025).
Legal context: starting Jan 1, 2026, Russian providers must store logs, metadata, and authorization info for three years. Previously, it was just one year.
If it goes to civil court, requests come from the court, not the police.
Step 5: Zoomers and Broken Red Flags
Leo is a classic Zoomer. This generation seems to have “broken red flags”:
- They haven’t let go of their smartphones since childhood
- They think the internet is a lawless sea
- Reality check: there are sharks
I never planned to deal with this, but Leo stole too much of my time. The only way to set things straight is legal channels.
Police promised a response in two weeks — though their current plan is to contact Zoho, which is basically impossible.
Here’s who I mean.
Lessons Learned
Digital ownership matters — especially when accounts tie to your personal contributions.
Trust but verify — handing full access to your account can have consequences.
Law > hacking — sometimes the legal route is the only way to reclaim what’s yours.
P.S. Rarely, “Big Brother is watching” can actually be useful. Who’s going to make Zoomers behave like gentlemen? Other than the magistrate’s court?
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