My thoughts about Paul Graham's "Founder Mode"

I’m glad Paul Graham has given this style of running a startup a name, but I’m concerned that trying to define it too rigidly might undermine what it truly is. While Paul Graham offers a valuable framework for understanding “founder mode,” I worry that attempting to box it in could lead to misinterpretations. “Founder mode” varies so drastically from one founder to another that, although you might find some common ground, people who shouldn’t be founders might take these findings too literally and believe there’s only one way to run a startup. They could twist this into another concept—let’s call it “founder manager mode”—and then wonder why they aren’t successful.

We should keep it as simple as YC’s slogan: “Make something people want.”

Founder mode should be: “Do everything you can to make your startup succeed.”

And “everything you can” varies from founder to founder.

I don’t think this is something that can be rigidly taught. It’s something that arises out of necessity and is deeply personal. And at times, it could be very controversial.

Here’s a link to Paul’s article: https://paulgraham.com/foundermode.html