How did Chip Conley become a co-parent?

Chip Conley became a co-parent in a somewhat unexpected way. He was approached by Laura, a longtime friend who lived in Houston. She asked him to be a sperm donor just as he was about to sell his company, Joie de Vivre. At that time, Conley had a lot of "parent energy" that had been invested into his company, which he had run as both the 'mama' and 'papa,' without a co-founder and with extensive personal involvement. This made the timing perfect for Conley to redirect some of that energy into a new form of parenting.

Originally, the arrangement was that he would be just a sperm donor without legal or financial obligations, and it wasn’t clear if the children would know who their father was. However, the relationship evolved, and Conley became more than just a donor; he became involved in the boys' lives, visiting them and having them visit him in Baja. This setup became a form of co-parenting where Conley is present in the children’s lives, sharing parental responsibilities with the two women, despite the initial plan of limited involvement 1.