If Geto and Gojo were so close, why didn't Geto try to convince Gojo to defect with him?
Because Geto knew that Gojo’s support would guarantee his success, but that success would come at the cost of hurting Gojo.
I believe that Geto cared more about protecting Gojo than he cared about building a better world.
..
Let me explain…
First, let’s talk about why it would’ve made sense for Geto to ask Gojo to join him:
(1) Gojo would’ve been Geto’s most important / most powerful ally
By the time of Geto’s defection, Gojo is already the strongest sorcerer in existence. He and Geto are two of only three special grade sorcerers. Having them both on the same side is essentially an automatic win.
(2) Gojo should’ve been (relatively) easy to persuade
Gojo had already told Geto that he didn't like having to save the weak and didn't care about the moral justifications for it…
…Geto has also seen that Gojo doesn’t always value / protect human life. He was ready to massacre the Time Vessel Association without reason, but ultimately he didn't, because he deferred to Geto's judgement…
…and, most importantly, they are best friends on a DEEP, unparalleled level. Geto is Gojo’s “one and only” best friend.
If Geto was truly dedicated to changing the world order, Gojo should’ve been the first and most important person that he tried to recruit to his insurgency / cult / mission.
BUT
Not only does Geto make zero effort to reach out to / recruit Gojo, he actively avoids him and pushes him away...
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After he kills the 112 non-sorcerers, Geto runs into Shoko in Shinjuku. He happily approaches her and willingly answers her questions.
Look at his smiling face in their interactions:
But, when Shoko calls Gojo, Geto leaves before Gojo shows up. Gojo tracks him down anyway and demands an explanation. Geto still doesn’t want to talk about it (“You already heard it.”)
It's strange, right? Geto loves talking about his vision of a better world with everyone else.
Then, there is this confusing progression of dialog:
Geto is hurt/annoyed that Gojo doesn’t believe in him, so he points out that Gojo’s argument against his plan is invalid. The plan is possible (“You could do it”), therefore (according to Gojo’s own logic) it’s not “pointless.”
In a way, Geto is admitting that he knows it would make the most sense for Gojo to join him.
But before Gojo can respond, Geto pivots to saying something extremely hurtful. He's questioning who Gojo is / would be if he wasn't the strongest. Is there really anything more to him? (See more detail in my post here).
Then, in the very next panel Geto turns and starts walking away.
In summary: (1) Geto avoids Gojo, (2) Geto only argues in favor of his plan when Gojo forces/baits him, (3) Upon invalidating Gojo’s opposition to his plan, Geto immediately puts emotional distance between them, (4) Geto then puts physical distance between them.
Why is Geto trying so hard to make sure that Gojo won’t follow him?
Is he just being prideful about doing this on his own? Is he so angry at Gojo's arrogance that he'd jeopardize the success of his life's mission over it?
These arguments aren't in line with Geto's characterization / known motivations (see the end of this post, if you're interested in more on that.)
Geto's main motivation is (a twisted form of) compassion. He wants to end the suffering of sorcerers.
He is a thoughtful, contemplative person, and would've thought about the ramifications of recruiting Gojo.
What are the ramifications?
If Gojo joins the cause, Geto’s plan would succeed, but Gojo would suffer for it.
Like anyone who joins Geto's cult, Gojo would become a pariah / fugitive from Jujutsu society. He’d kill people. He’d kill other sorcerers.
But because Gojo has the singular level of strength/ability to kill non-sorcerers en masse, he would commit the vast majority (or all) of the murder / destruction. The legal, social, and mental impacts would be most severe on Gojo.
(Also, at this point, I think Geto may still question whether he’s made the right choice. It’s difficult to go from a hardline stance on protecting non-sorcerers to wanting to gen0c1de them, within the span of a year, without any lingering ethical qualms. So he may be worried about moral costs to Gojo as well.)
Let’s remember that Geto (canonically) deeply loves Gojo. Gojo is his one and only best friend. Geto worries about Gojo when he overworks himself protecting Riko. Geto is shocked when Toji kills Riko in front of him, but he only flies into a rage when he thinks Toji has killed Gojo. (Again, see my post here for more on how much Geto loves Gojo).
So, it makes sense that Geto is ready to make sacrifices to create a better world, but it’s a cost he’s willing to put on his own head. Not Gojo's.
Ultimately, Geto cares more about Gojo than he cares about achieving the mission he has dedicated his life to.
The last thing Geto says to him is this:
What he's really asking Gojo is: "Have you stopped loving me, now that I've committed myself to this dark path? Would you kill me to save them?"
If Gojo hates Geto enough that he’d kill him, then Geto never had a chance of recruiting Gojo in the first place.
Of course, Gojo can’t make himself hurt Geto. He still loves Geto too much.
Geto protected Gojo by pushing him away.
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Addendum:
I'll also argue against two other possible explanations for Geto's behavior.
(1) Geto is jealous / prideful /wants to build his own legacy without Gojo stealing the spotlight
Geto has clear motivations for his goals and they’re not egotistical. He wants to end the suffering of sorcerers caused by non-sorcerers’ existence (e.g., Riko’s death, Mimiko & Nanako’s abuse).
Geto’s pride isn’t hurt when Gojo becomes the strongest. The only thing that bothers Geto is that they’re getting sent on separate missions.
After Gojo becomes stronger that him, Geto still has overt affection for Gojo (e.g., he asks Haibara to bring back sweets from his mission so he can share with Gojo).
Although Geto does believe in his superiority over non-sorcerers, he doesn't feel superior over other sorcerers and doesn't struggle with his 'inferiority' to Gojo.
Does Gojo’s lack of faith in Geto’s ability (calling his goal “impossible”), spur Geto to want to prove himself? Yes, probably. But Geto had already been avoiding Gojo before he said that. And I don’t believe that wanting to prove himself to Gojo would overshadow his stronger motivation to build a better world for sorcerers.
(2) He thinks Gojo actually is too moral to join him
After Geto kills the 112 non-sorcerers, Gojo is shocked and upset by what’s happened, but not once does he insult Geto or imply that Geto has done something unforgivable. In fact, he’s practically begging Geto to explain himself because he wants to be able to justify his actions. And, again, Gojo’s argument against Geto’s plan is NOT that “it’s wrong,” it’s that “it’s impossible.”
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