Forget Manager Mode, Founder Mode is the Real Moat

When Paul Graham first introduced the idea, Founder Mode, I read the essay immediately but I didn’t fully understand it—doubting whether it was true. But now I truly believe that Founder Mode is the best operating style any founder or even a leader can follow. 

The reason I now believe in the idea is because knowing that Paul Graham said the method worked for the cofounder and CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, I dug deep and when I say this, it may shock you, but I found out that it’s the same way Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk operates, it’s even the same way Steve Jobs operated in his entire time at Apple. 

When you are in the Founder Mode, you try to be involved in as many “Important” decisions as possible. These can be really hard problems the company needs to solve, big decisions the company needs to make, or risky moves the company needs to take. But instead of asking your managers or executives about them, you personally get involved in those decisions and problems.

Of course, the idea doesn’t say that you should be involved in “All of the things.” Because you can’t actually be involved in all of the things when you’re running a million or billion-dollar company. So you always have to prioritize the most important tasks the company has to get done at a given time. And that’s what Founder Mode is about. 

The Big Takeaway: Forget the conventional method—Manager Mode. Try Founder Mode and be involved in as many important decisions and problems as possible in your company. And I gotta say this: At least you should try it, sticking with it or not is totally up to you. If you like it, go with it. If you don’t, switch to the old method.