Why would the founders of a startup decide on small things such as UI/UX instead of letting the team in Product do it? Especially when the Product team has more experience.
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The scenario you've depicted is quite specific, and it's conceivable that there could be a multitude of underlying reasons. Nonetheless, the crux of your inquiry remains valid; ideally, if the UI/UX professionals possess a higher level of expertise, then deference to their judgment would typically be prudent. Personally, placing trust in my team’s proficiency would have been my approach.
However, I'd note that the individuals in question are the founders of the company. As such, the associated risks and the final product inherently fall under their purview. Should they desire to steer the project in a particular direction, they retain the prerogative to do so, even if the approach seems to be inefficient or seems to verge on micromanagement. It is crucial for founders to maintain their vision for the product, but a balanced collaboration with the team can ensure optimized results and a harmonious working environment.
I would have so many more questions to ask.... if the startup is still small, (small is less than 50 people), it's probably because the founders have so much fiscally at risk that every aspect of the company is on their shoulders. If the startup now is much larger and the product team itself is 50 people and there are 1,000 people in the company, then development is at risk as the founder would be a decision barrier. I would be having a frank discussion with them on how to improve the relationship with the development team so the founder still feels deeply engaged, but perhaps only gets involved with major function changes. You really will need your emotional intelligence to engage in this discussion....