Companies tend to ⁘cocoon⁘ former entrepreneurs rather than elevate them into leadership roles, Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP ) co-founder and CEO Tobi Lütke said during a recent episode of the ⁘Founders Podcast.⁘ Lütke said people who have started companies think and act differently inside large organizations.
⁘I feel it's a very special thing,⁘ he told host David Senra , adding that ⁘companies reject it. Companies cocoon them.⁘ Instead of being elevated, he said former founders are often moved away from decision-making roles. He said these employees are frequently placed on the ⁘outskirts⁘ and assigned to so-called skunk work teams.
⁘It's day care for people who tell you that your sh*t doesn't smell right. And your sh*t does smell,⁘ Lütke said. Lütke told Senra he noticed this dynamic at Shopify during the pandemic. ⁘No, you don't get to put them in like founder day care,⁘ he said. He said he responded by making founders from acquired companies more visible internally, sometimes elevating them above other managers.
Lütke said he created a dedicated Slack channel with those founders and regularly asks them for help. At OpenAI, Barret Zoph , a longtime artificial intelligence researcher, was put in charge of the company's enterprise push, The Information reported , citing an internal OpenAI memo. Lütke said on the podcast that he has a simple way to spot employees who perform well in crises.
He asks one question: ⁘Have you started a company before?⁘ Shopify has acquired several startups in recent years, including logistics firm Deliverr and influencer marketing startup Dovetale in 2022, followed by workplace messaging platform Threads in 2024. Founders of Dovetale and Threads remain in product roles at Shopify, while Deliverr's CEO moved on after about a year, according to Business Insider. You might also find this interesting: Check here
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