mostly researching, thinking, and writing about company culture via The Kool-Aid Factory and Founder Fodder (newsletter). Used to Stripe (Stripe Press, BizOps) and Figma (Figma for Education).
I recently left Stripe after 4.5 formative and magical years. Some reflections on what made working at Stripe feel different than working other places:
1/Turpentine
2/Writing
3/Meticulousness
4/Principled decision-making
5/Ambition
6/Talking up
7/The... See more
Though the most successful founders are usually good people, they tend to have a piratical gleam in their eye. They're not Goody Two-Shoes type good. Morally, they care about getting the big questions right, but not about observing proprieties. That's why I'd use the word naughty rather than evil. They delight in breaking rules, but not rules that... See more
I am a giant advocate for technical founders running their own companies, but one consistent way that technical founders deeply harm their businesses is by screwing up the budgeting process. Yes, the budgeting process. How ridiculous is that?
Among the senior leaders I’ve worked with, I’ve seen folks cause far more harm applying this advice too literally than by ignoring it. Leading effective and collaborative teams requires a nuanced approach to trust.