In this episode, I’m joined by product and leadership expert Shreyas Doshi to dissect Founder Mode, why it’s appealing, and how to activate it. We dive deep into Paul Graham's recent essay which struck a chord in the tech community and resonated strongly with many founders and leaders.
In this episode, I’m joined by product and leadership expert Shreyas Doshi to dissect Founder Mode, why it’s appealing, and how to activate it. We dive deep into Paul Graham's recent essay which struck a chord in the tech community and resonated strongly with many founders and leaders.
We also discuss:
Referenced:
Where to find Shreyas:
Where to find Nikhyl:
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Timestamps
(00:00) Teaser: Unpacking founder mode
(02:47) What Shreyas has been up to
(04:04) Shreyas’ take on founder mode
(08:59) Why judgment and product sense is critical
(13:04) Balancing detail and delegation
(20:57) The key question for founders about ownership
(23:01) Not every company needs a CPO or Head of Product
(28:07) When product people should prioritize detail
(31:32) What everyone gets wrong about Steve Jobs
(34:22) Shreyas’ observation about John and Patrick Collison
(38:17) Nikhyl’s observation about Mark Zuckerberg
(40:05) Founder vs manager mode
(43:40) Should leaders avoid manager mode?
(48:17) Chase impact, not optics
(57:00) The 3 types of product leaders
(60:46) Aligning your environment, opinion, and superpower
(63:10) Shreyas’ non-consensus view on building product
(67:52) Mastering founder mode as a PM
(72:58) Getting in touch with Shreyas
(74:49) How to find Nikhyl