About Founder Mode — Some Thoughts from Hive Ventures
At the end of the article, there is an English translated version.
附上 Founder Mode 原文： https://www.paulgraham.com/foundermode.html
最近 YC 的創辦人 Paul Graham 的一篇文章引爆全網：「Founder Mode」。此文源自於 YC 活動中 Airbnb 創辦人 Brian Chesky 的演講。他提到，在公司成長階段，雇用高階經理人（Manager Mode）未必能使企業變得更好，正如原文所述：「hire good people and give them room to do their jobs.」。Brian Chesky 在管理 Airbnb 的過程中，曾經雇用經理人來管理公司，但效果不佳，最終還是自己親自下場處理。因此，他研究了幾家成功的公司，包含 Apple 和 Tesla，並認為只有採取「Founder Mode」，由創辦人親力親為，才能將公司帶往更好的方向。
此文一出，引發了廣泛討論，多數人基本表示認同。從 Hive Ventures 創辦人的經驗來看，雖然 Founder Mode 確實較好，但也可能有偏頗，因為 Founder Mode 並不適用於所有情況。一些偉大的公司和成功存活的企業，的確是經歷了 Founder Mode，但這樣的推論或許帶有「幸存者偏差」。
重點在於，並非每個人或每家公司都適合 Founder Mode，這取決於具體情況。Hive 的觀點是，若創辦人足夠強大，Founder Mode 是可行的；但如果創辦人僅具備單一技能，而在其他管理能力上有所缺失，則 Manager Mode 也是一個可考慮的選項，但確實不如 Founder Mode 高效。Founder Mode 的特點在於親力親為，無微不至。然而，並非每個人都是朱元璋或 Steve Jobs。Founder Mode 的優勢在於，公司可以持續朝著創辦人所設定的方向前進。
Hive Ventures Fund 1 投資了 18 家 portfolio，研究了近千家新創公司。在早期的 0 到 1 階段，無疑是 Founder Mode，創辦人需要身兼數職，事事親力親為。然而，當公司進入中期，員工數突破 200 人，進入成長階段時，或許會出現不同的成長模式，我們試圖將這些模式歸類如下：
A. 創辦人足夠優秀，精力充沛，視野廣闊，並且學習能力強。→ Founder Mode
B. 創辦人為業內資深人士，經驗豐富。→ Founder Mode
C. 創辦人優秀，但偏重技術或產品。→ Manager Mode + 創辦人維持決策權
D. 創辦人優秀，但偏重銷售。→ Founder Mode + 技術合夥人
E. 其他創辦人。→ 類型繁多，變數過大，不討論
如果 C 類型的創辦人非常優秀，也可轉向 A 類型。但由於 Hive 專注於科技軟體，並且偏向 B2B 項目，因此我們的看法僅適用於這類別。在 2C 和其他平台類項目中，創辦人所需的技能又會有所不同。
為何並非所有新創都適合 Founder Mode？原因在於創辦人是最大的 X 因素。創辦人需要具備幾個關鍵核心能力，這也是在早期投資辨別「人」的關鍵：
A. 第一是講故事的能力，這等同於銷售與融資能力。創辦人能否清楚地傳達項目的價值非常重要，若無法打動人，即使項目再厲害，未來也會遇到瓶頸。
B. 第二是看清問題本質的能力，這與公司策略走向及對市場週期的洞察力有關，擁有這種能力的人，才能確保企業始終在正確的路上前行。
C. 第三是學習能力，CEO 需要掌握銷售、技術、產品、財務管理及人員管理等多方面技能，而這些並非與生俱來，需要不斷自我磨練與學習。這點在初次見面時難以觀察，需經過一段時間才能看出。
D. 第四是精力和熱情。任何一家企業都不可能一帆風順，總會遇到風雨與挫折，若沒有強大的身體與熱愛，將難以堅持下去。我們見過的優秀創辦人，幾乎都是精神奕奕，時刻保持高昂狀態。
因此，想用 Founder Mode 說服自己的人，應先認清自己的能力邊界，是否真的屬於 Airbnb 或 Apple 的類型。Founder Mode 不是唯一的道路，即便選擇了 Manager Mode，能讓公司存活並持續前行的創業者同樣是優秀的。
另外一個值得討論的問題是：新創公司的高管應該內部晉升還是外部引進？這個問題困擾著許多新創企業，歡迎大家在下方討論，之後我們也會給出我們的看法。
Here is the content translated by ChatGPT:
About Founder Mode
Recently, an article by YC founder Paul Graham went viral online: “Founder Mode.” This article stems from a talk given by Airbnb founder Brian Chesky at a YC event, where he mentioned that during the growth stage of a company, hiring senior managers (Manager Mode) doesn’t necessarily make the company better, as the original phrase goes: “hire good people and give them room to do their jobs.” Brian Chesky, while managing Airbnb, once hired managers to run the company, but the results were unsatisfactory, and he eventually had to step back in and manage things himself. As a result, he studied several successful companies, including Apple and Tesla, and concluded that a “Founder Mode,” where the founder remains hands-on, is the best way to lead a company toward a better future.
Once this article was published, it sparked widespread discussion, with most people expressing agreement. From the experience of Hive Ventures, although Founder Mode is generally more effective, this view may be somewhat biased. That’s because Founder Mode doesn’t apply to every situation. Some great companies and those that have survived were indeed built through Founder Mode, but attributing success solely to this mode might involve some “survivorship bias.”
The key point is that not every person or every company is suited for Founder Mode — it really depends on the specific circumstances. Hive’s view is that if the founder is strong enough, Founder Mode is viable. However, if the founder excels in only one particular skill and lacks other management abilities, Manager Mode could be considered, although it generally isn’t as effective as Founder Mode. The hallmark of Founder Mode is being deeply involved and attending to every detail. However, not everyone can be like Elon Musk or Steve Jobs. One advantage of Founder Mode is that the company can continuously follow the direction the founder envisions.
Hive Ventures Fund 1 invested in 18 portfolios and reviewed nearly a thousand startups. In the early stages of 0 to 1, it’s almost always Founder Mode, with founders wearing many hats and taking on multiple roles. But as the company grows, with over 200 employees and entering the growth stage, different growth models may emerge. We’ve tried to categorize them as follows:
Type A. The founder is highly competent, full of energy, has broad vision, and learns quickly. → Founder Mode
Type B. The founder is an industry veteran with rich experience. → Founder Mode
Type C. The founder is excellent but more focused on technology or product development. → Manager Mode + Founder retains decision-making power
Type D. The founder is excellent but more sales-oriented. → Founder Mode + Technical co-founder
Type E. Other founders. → Too many variables to discuss here
If a type C founder is very capable, they could transition to type A. But since Hive focuses on tech software and mainly B2B projects, our perspective is limited to this category. For 2C and other platform-type projects, the skills needed from the founder might differ.
Why is Founder Mode not suitable for every startup? Because the founder is the biggest X factor. The founder needs to possess several key core abilities, which is also crucial in evaluating early-stage projects by assessing the “person”:
A. The first is storytelling ability, which is equivalent to sales and fundraising ability. It’s crucial for the founder to articulate the project clearly; if they can’t explain the product or the company well and fail to impress people, the project, no matter how good, will eventually hit a bottleneck.
B. The second is the ability to discern the essence of problems. This relates to the company’s strategic direction and the founder’s vision in seeing through market cycles. Only those with such vision can ensure the company stays on the right path without losing direction.
C. The third is the ability to learn. CEOs need to master a wide range of skills, including technology, product management, financial management, and personnel management. These are not innate and must be continuously honed and learned. This quality may not be apparent during a first meeting but becomes evident over time.
D. The fourth is energy and passion. No company has smooth sailing all the way; there will always be storms and setbacks. Without strong physical endurance and passion, it’s difficult to persist. The outstanding founders we’ve encountered are almost always brimming with energy, maintaining high enthusiasm at all times.
Therefore, if you want to convince yourself to adopt Founder Mode, it’s essential to first recognize your own limits. Are you really in the same category as Airbnb or Apple? Founder Mode is not the only path — those who adopt Manager Mode but still manage to keep their company alive and moving forward are also exceptional entrepreneurs.
Another topic worth discussing is: Should senior executives in startups be promoted internally or hired externally?
This question has troubled many startups. Feel free to discuss this in the comments below, and we’ll also share our views in the future.
Attached is the original Founder Mode article: https://www.paulgraham.com/foundermode.html
