The Memo: Going founder mode

      No Comments on The Memo: Going founder mode
The Memo: Going founder mode

In This Story Hello, Memo readers!

Yet another new buzzword has hit the world of startups, dividing the already fractious Silicon Valley community over the best way to manage a growing company.

Suggested Reading Nvidia stock is navigating one of its most turbulent weeks ever

Suggested Reading Noted entrepreneur Paul Graham recently published an essay detailing the differences between “manager mode” and “founder mode” — claiming with regard to the latter that “business schools don’t know it exists.”

In his essay, Graham recounted an experience he had listening to Airbnb ( ABNB ) founder Brian Chesky speak at a conference held by Graham’s startup accelerator Y Combinator.

“As Airbnb grew, well-meaning people advised [Chesky] that he had to run the company in a certain way for it to scale,” Graham recounted. “Their advice could be optimistically summarized as ‘hire good people and give them room to do their jobs.’ He followed this advice and the results were disastrous.”

Chesky and Airbnb were able to rebound, according to its founder, by instead emulating the leadership style of supposedly the ultimate founder: Apple’s ( AAPL ) Steve Jobs.

While the essay garnered praise from many among the Silicon Valley elite, it also was almost immediately subject to mockery from people online, many of whom have grown weary of the endless strings of buzzwords and the tech industry players who use them. Read more about the founder vs. manager mode debate .

Bill Gates says retirement ‘sounds awful’ Despite co-founding one of the most successful companies in the world, Bill Gates says he isn’t ready to stop working.

The Microsoft ( MSFT ) co-founder said he hopes to continue working like his friend and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett, who still serves as chairman and chief executive of the firm he co-founded, Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK.A ), at the age of 94.

If his health allows for it, Gates (68) said he wants to keep “working at this level” for “at least src0 years.” But, added that he hopes “it’ll be more like 20 or 30.” Read more about his view on retirement .

More from Quartz 🛫 Boeing is near a historic agreement with a 30,000-member union…

🛬 …while Air Canada is offering its pilots a huge raise to avoid a strike.

💼 Kamala Harris is pro-business, Mark Cuban says…

👍 …and 88 business leaders have endorsed her.

🐭 ‘I can’t survive another two years of this,’ ex-Disney CEO said before Bob Iger came back

🛒 Aldi is hiring a whopping src3,000 workers

You got the Memo Send questions, comments, and rest mode inspo to talk@qz.com . This edition of The Memo was written by Madeline Fitzgerald, Britney Nguyen, and Morgan Haefner.

Read More

Leave a Reply