Family potlucks should unite, yet sibling rivalries simmer underneath. One brother denied his sibling a free custom kindergarten app, quoting full price for his coding effort. When the Redditor’s dishes earned glowing praise, the same brother demanded those recipes outright.
They mirrored his exact words: hard work merits payment, igniting accusations of spite amid the feast. The standoff highlights uneven expectations in family favors. Online, readers debate: clever payback or needless grudge?
Redditor refuses to share secret recipes, after their brother refuses to give them the source code to a customized app.
The brother refused to share anything about the app he made, even the source code, even though the Redditor made sure they would never share it or sell it. They never talked about it again.
Until, in return, the Redditor refused to share their recipes. So the brother went bitter.
At its core, the Redditor’s brother crafted a personalized app for his kindergartener, think sight words and counting, tailored with her name for that extra sparkle.
When the Redditor asked to adapt it for their own soon-to-be KG kiddo, brother balked, quoting a price tag that could fund a small vacation. No source code, no tweaks, just pay up or walk away.
Fair enough for professional gigs, but in family land? It stung like underseasoned soup. Then, at the potluck, the tables flipped: brother’s wife couldn’t replicate the Redditor’s signature dishes, so he requested the recipes. Echoing his own words verbatim? Pure poetic justice, with a satirical twist that had everyone chuckling (or cringing).
Opposing views? Brother insists it’s apples and oranges. Code is copyrightable intellectual property, recipes are just… food instructions. He might have a legal leg to stand on there, but motivations scream entitlement.
Why gatekeep a niece’s learning tool while expecting free access to years of kitchen trial-and-error? The Redditor’s response wasn’t born from spite but symmetry, highlighting how “hard work” applies universally.
It’s a neutral nudge: if one sibling monetizes help, why shouldn’t the other? This petty mirror moment exposes deeper dynamics. Perhaps brother’s tech pride clashing with the Redditor’s quiet culinary empire.
Zoom out, and this mirrors broader sibling rivalries in modern families, where personal passions become battlegrounds. A 2023 Pew Research Center report on family relationships notes that 42% of adults report tension over unequal contributions in shared responsibilities, often tied to perceived expertise.
Here, it’s not chores but creations – apps versus recipes – fueling the fire. In a world of side hustles, when does family favor turn into freelance?
Enter expert insight: Intellectual property attorney Annalisa Peretti explains in a Forbes profile on leveraging IP across industries, “My specialization as an attorney has always been in fashion law and industry, focusing on intellectual property (IP), inventions, designs, artistic works, trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets.”
This rings true for the Redditor. Brother’s app is protectable code, yet recipes can qualify as trade secrets under certain laws, like the famous Coca-Cola formula.
Peretti’s point analyzes the relevance: both siblings guard their “secret sauce,” but enforcing boundaries in blood ties risks relational burnout.
Neutral advice? Communicate calmly. Propose a swap: app tweaks for recipe lessons, or low-cost compromises. Solutions like open-source family projects could bridge gaps.
These are the responses from Reddit users:
Some view OP’s response as fair, petty turnabout after brother charged for help.
Some people equate coding to cooking and say family should share freely.
![[Reddit User] − NTA. Yes, he worked hard for his code. However, family is generally there to help each other out.](https://dailyhighlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/wp-editor-1761637001050-3.webp "Brother Denies Source Code For Custom App, Redditor's Payback Surprises Him With Secret Recipes")
Others praise the witty comeback and defend keeping personal recipes private.
In the end, this Redditor’s recipe retaliation was a textbook example of mirroring: fair given the app denial’s lifelong echo in family gatherings.
Nevertheless, some might argue: did they overplay the pettiness card?
How would you juggle being a sibling’s keeper when hard work’s on the line? Do you think turnabout truly is fair play, or should family favors flow freely? Share your hot takes!
