Founder Mode: Protecting Yourself From this New Form of Micromanagement

Founder mode. The phrase on the tip of everyone’s tongue in Product Management. Bring it up in conversation, and you’ll get a similar reaction to declaring that you love pineapple on pizza 🍕. Some people will defend you to the hills, while others will look at you like you’re crazy.

Whatever your stance – and don’t worry, I’ll get into mine in a bit –  it’s clear that this idiom is going to stick around, and spark a lot of Founders, CEOs, and other leaders to get more involved in product decisions, for better or for worse. As a Product Manager, what can you do if you’ve got a Founder getting all up in your grill?

As the Co-founder of ProdPad, and having been a Product Manager myself, I think I hold a unique position to speak on this trend. So, here’s my guide on how to deal with founder mode, why momentum for it is building and the root cause of this new form of micromanagement. 

What is founder mode?

Founder mode describes a shifting mindset where company founders and leaders step back into the thick of day-to-day operations, often in ways that can feel more like micromanaging than empowering. Founder mode is part passion, part panic, where the Founder takes a more hands-on approach to reclaim control over their teams or projects.

With founder mode style management practices, you’ll often see a founder scrutinizing details they once delegated, revisiting decisions already made, or swooping into meetings uninvited to “course correct” the team’s trajectory. It’s a sharp pivot from trust to oversight, and while it can be fueled by good intentions (like protecting the business or driving success), it’s not without its drawbacks.

This isn’t to say founder involvement is inherently bad: it’s their company, after all. Sometimes it’s nice to see a leader roll their sleeves up and muck in. But founder mode tends to crop up at pivotal moments: during uncertainty, when scaling pains kick in, or when other approaches simply aren’t working for whatever reason.

It’s less about leadership and more about control, which, spoiler alert, isn’t the recipe for long-term success.

Now, we’re not going to dogpile on founder mode. Yes, I don’t think it’s the best idea in the world, you can see that in my LinkedIn post on the subject, but there’s no point writing a 3000-word article bashing it into a pulp. Instead, I think founder mode is indicative of another problem, and something that Product Managers should pay attention to in order to improve the product.

Let’s figure out why founder mode happens and how to strike a better balance.

Founder mode vs Management mode

Founder mode goes against conventional wisdom and is the complete opposite of the traditional management mode, where the actions of the founder boil down to control instead of the more practical delegation.

Manager mode is all about empowering teams and trusting them to own their domains. It’s the phase where leaders embrace structure, rely on the experts they’ve hired, and step back to let managers live up to the title and manage.

Founder mode, on the other hand, is a hard pivot in the opposite direction. It’s a rejection of managerial detachment in favor of deep involvement. Instead of empowering others, founder mode is about getting in there and taking on all the decisions.

While manager mode is like charting a ship’s course and trusting the crew to sail it, founder mode is the captain grabbing the wheel mid-voyage to steer things their way – storm or no storm. The shift can be jarring for teams used to autonomy, as it can feel like their decisions are being overridden or scrutinized unnecessarily.

But why does this happen? Why are leaders like Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky and others feeling the need to revert to this tactic?

Well, often, founder mode re-emerges during times of uncertainty or frustration. As for Brian Chesky, he tried loads of different leadership styles and team structures at Airbnb that failed, didn’t work, and then landed in a founder-mode mentality. He talks about that struggle in this Interview with The Verge.  For now, it’s working for them, but maybe because things weren’t so hot beforehand.

Here’s my worry: while founder mode might provide short-term reassurance, it can erode trust and stifle the very innovation that comes from giving teams the space to thrive.

Finding the balance between these two modes is vital – because a founder can’t take the helm and be in the crow’s nest guiding the ship at the same time.

Why is everyone talking about founder mode?

It feels like one day we all woke up and founder mode was suddenly engrained in everyone’s mind. Kind of like how Apple added an unwanted U2 album to everyone’s iTunes library back in 2014.

In truth, the buzz around founder mode stems from a term coined by Paul Graham in his now much-discussed article. He drew inspiration from Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky’s headline-making move to reimagine the Product Manager role at the company and ‘follow the footsteps’ of Steve Jobs and get more involved in product decisions.

Now, despite the clickbait, Chesky didn’t eliminate Product Managers entirely, but he did refocus their roles, transforming them into more growth-oriented Product Marketing Managers. This speaks of what founder mode is and why it’s cropped up now. At its core, founder mode has become a rallying cry for businesses in recovery mode.

After years of economic headwinds in the tech industry, many companies are desperate to reignite growth, and for some, that means tearing up the playbook.

Growth-focused Product Management has taken center stage, whether that’s through hiring Growth Product Managers, adopting product-led GTM, or, in the case of founder mode, founders stepping back in to reclaim the reins.

But let’s pause here. Just because a handful of big players claim success with founder mode doesn’t mean it’s a universal solution. Sure, some companies have seen improvements, but those wins are often tied to pre-existing problems. They might have had ineffective managers, the wrong hires, or a misaligned product strategy in which founder mode addressed those issues temporarily, but it’s not a sustainable or scalable fix.

If things aren’t currently wrong in your business, I don’t see founder mode being the ticket to improvement. For me, it’s an Elastoplast on a gaping wound.

Plus, if you just shifted your gaze a few inches away from those finding success with founder mode, you’ll find brands that are KILLING it with a traditional manager mode approach. Take Nike – a larger company that’s thriving by empowering its Product teams and investing in great talent rather than top-down micromanagement.

I also want to speak on the myth of founder-led success stories, too. Apple is often touted as a founder mode triumph, a reason for leaders to give founder mode a go, but Steve Jobs didn’t handcraft every good decision there. The man has been mythicized so much that Steve Jobs isn’t even Steve Jobs anymore. Like in every great company, he had to delegate to other decision-makers.

In fact, the iPhone – the product that is so synonymous with Apple – almost didn’t happen because Jobs needed convincing from his team. Steve Jobs almost prevented the Apple iPhone from being invented, and if he truly followed a founder mode mindset, it wouldn’t have been.

The takeaway? Founder mode isn’t a magic bullet.

While it might work for some high-profile companies, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, and it often comes at the cost of innovation and trust. If all your ideas are coming from the founder, you’ve got bigger problems than growth.

So, is founder mode bad? 

Do you even need to ask at this point? Categorically, yes: founder mode isn’t the hot new management framework it’s being hyped as. It’s just micromanagement repackaged with a shiny name and a splash of glamour. But once you peel back the layers, the cracks are clear, and they’re anything but trendy.

Wasting talent

The first issue? Founder mode undermines the team. As a Product Manager, you’re there for a reason. You’ve got the expertise, the insights, and the experience. But when the founder swoops in, it sidelines that expertise.

Instead of leveraging the collective strength of your Product Team structure, the founder becomes the bottleneck, making all the decisions and stifling creativity. It’s a waste of talent, turning capable professionals into glorified yes-people who nod along instead of thinking critically or driving the product forward.

Demoralizing the team

This leads to a deeper problem: founder mode is demoralizing. You’ve spent weeks doing product discovery, building a roadmap, and fostering a strong team. Then, the founder swoops in, upends the plan, and dictates their vision without fully understanding the context. It’s frustrating, disheartening, and a surefire way to breed disengagement.

And let’s not overlook the risks. Founders often juggle a million priorities, making it hard for them to stay close enough to the ground to make data-driven Product Management decisions and answer the tough questions. The idea that the founder is always the smartest person in the room is misguided at best, and dangerous at worst.

If your founder is the smartest person in your company, that’s not a flex, it’s a red flag that the wrong people have been hired.

A red flag

See, founder mode often signals deeper issues. If a founder is pulling rank and taking hands-on control, it’s a sign that something isn’t working. Maybe the product team isn’t hitting the mark, or maybe trust in leadership has eroded. Either way, founder mode is rarely a proactive choice, it’s a reactive measure, a desperate attempt to course-correct when things feel off.

In the end, founder mode isn’t a path to make your company successful. It’s a quick fix at best and a glaring symptom of underlying dysfunction at worst. As a Product Manager, you’re in the perfect position to push for the real recipe for growth: hiring the right people, empowering your team, and fostering a culture of trust and collaboration.

Why would a leader go founder mode? 

I’d like to think that one of the last things founders want to do is get all involved in the product. They’ve got a million and one other responsibilities. So what drives founders to get all up in your face? I’m sure it’s not because they want to be an annoying jerk.

Understanding why a founder might shift gears into founder mode can help you navigate the situation more effectively. While it might feel like they’re undermining your work, most founders aren’t trying to sabotage the team. It’s a response to a set of very real pressures.

Sometimes, founders step in because they see problems that others might not. If the team isn’t delivering results, hiring decisions haven’t panned out, or strategies aren’t aligning with the company’s vision, founder mode can feel like the quickest way to steady the ship. From their perspective, letting the team “figure it out” could cost valuable time and resources, which are often in short supply.

To help a founder, show them that the ship is not as off-course as they fear. Use data, experiments, and outcomes to demonstrate progress and align your work with their vision. If there are genuine gaps, acknowledge them and collaborate on solutions.

See, for a founder, the company isn’t just a job – it’s a reflection of their vision, values, and years of effort. If they feel like the business is at risk, their instinct is to take control and protect what they’ve built.

It’s not about undermining the team; it’s about safeguarding the mission. Recognize their investment and show that you’re equally committed to the company’s success. When they see that you care as much as they do, they’re more likely to trust your judgment.

Most founders stepping into founder mode are genuinely trying to make things better. Founder mode isn’t inherently malicious I don’t think. It’s a symptom of something deeper, whether that’s a lack of trust, misalignment, or a need for clearer communication. It’s the last resort to fix something. As a Product Manager, you’re in a unique position to address these issues.

What to do when a leader has gone founder mode 

Dealing with a founder in founder mode can feel like a whirlwind: sudden pivot strategies, surprise interventions, and a sense that your work is being sidelined. But don’t panic!

When a leader goes all-in on founder mode, it’s less about them trying to micromanage and more about trying to solve a problem. Your role as a Product Manager is to bridge the gap, bring clarity to their concerns, and refocus their energy into productive collaboration.

You can navigate this situation with strategy, empathy, and a touch of diplomacy. Here’s how:

Think of your founder as a stakeholder

At their core, founders are stakeholders with unique incentives, pressures, and goals. The key is to treat them as you would any other stakeholder: understand their motivations, align on priorities, and address their concerns.

So when founders get more involved, conduct discovery. Ask what they’re trying to solve, what they’re worried about, and what success looks like to them. You can even map out their goals to the team’s objectives so they can see how the work aligns with their vision.

By knowing what they need from you, you can produce work that reassures them and gets them off your back.

Get to the root of the problem

Founder mode often happens when trust has wavered or when the founder feels the team isn’t meeting expectations. This realization can suck at first. Instead of getting defensive and pushing back against their involvement, dig deeper to understand why they’re stepping in and what’s gone astray.

As a Product Manager, you probably already know when something isn’t meeting the mark, so collaborate on this to see if you can leverage their insight to find a solution together.

Show that you’re part of the team. One reason founders might adopt founder mode is because they feel they lack a team they can trust. Reassure them by being their ally. Share progress transparently, invite their feedback (without handing over the reins), and highlight how their expertise can complement the team’s efforts, rather than overriding them.

Speak their language: use evidence and outcomes

Founders are wired to respond to proof. If they’re questioning your decisions, come prepared with evidence that backs your approach. Whether it’s user research, metrics, or validated experiments, show them the thought process behind the team’s direction. This lets them know that you’re not floating aimlessly in the current.

Use validation and prioritization frameworks to demonstrate that your decisions are grounded in data, not guesswork, and show how the team’s progress supports the company’s overarching goals.

Need some frameworks to help guide your proof? We’ve got a whole list of them in this ebook:

Master the art of saying no

When a founder brings unqualified ideas to the table, shutting them down outright can create friction and put your head on the line. Instead, steer the conversation toward alignment.

Frame your responses around shared goals, something like “That’s an interesting idea – how do you see it contributing to [X objective]?” Deploy validation techniques to assess their suggestions constructively. If an idea doesn’t hold up, the data will speak for itself.

There are loads of techniques on how to say no as a Product Manager, so choose the one that works for you. 

Frame founder mode as a collaboration opportunity

While founder mode can feel disruptive, it also opens the door to closer collaboration. Use the opportunity to align on strategy, learn from their experience, and strengthen the team’s relationship with leadership. A founder may not be the guru of everything, but they’re going to have insight you don’t have.

If you have a founder who wants to be more involved without being overbearing, invite them to join strategy sessions or roadmap discussions in a structured way. Use their insights to refine the team’s work, but ensure that their involvement remains constructive.

Should Product Managers adopt founder mode themselves? 

There’s been some chatter suggesting that Product Managers should embrace founder mode principles. Let’s be clear: that’s not the move.

Micromanaging or trying to run every aspect of your product single-handedly undermines your team’s expertise and autonomy. Your role isn’t to know everything; it’s to enable your team to shine.

But what’s worth adopting is the founder mindset.

Founders think about their products with unparalleled care and commitment. It’s their legacy, their life’s work, their reputation on the line. They take calculated risks, stay hyper-focused on the company’s success, and consider the broader implications of every decision. This level of dedication can be transformative for a PM aiming to create better products.

While you might not have the same stakes as a founder, you can bring that level of investment and thoughtfulness to your role. Care deeply about your product. Stay strategic and make decisions with long-term growth in mind. This doesn’t mean sidelining your team, it means inspiring them by modeling the passion and commitment that makes founders effective.

Adopting this mindset helps you approach your product with purpose while still leveraging the strengths of your team. In other words, think like a founder but lead like a PM.

What to do instead of founder mode 

Right, I’m speaking directly to founders now. This one’s for you. I get it, sometimes I struggle with the pull to dive into the weeds and take charge again. You care about your product, your team, and your company’s success, but now you also know the pitfalls of founder mode. So, what should you do instead when you get that urge?

First, take a step back and reflect. Ask yourself: Why am I stepping in here? Is it because you feel your team isn’t capable? Or maybe it’s because you have knowledge or intuition that the team doesn’t? Perhaps it’s due to external pressures you’re facing that the team isn’t aware of.

Whatever the reason, recognize it. Then, instead of jumping in, share your insights. Bring your intuition, business context, or industry knowledge to the table in a way that empowers your team. Your job is to make sure they have the information they need to align with your vision – not to execute it for them.

Lastly, trust the team you’ve built. If you’re struggling to delegate, ask yourself if the issue lies in the team’s skills, alignment, or your own ability to let go. If there’s a gap, work together to address it. There are better options than taking on the success of your product yourself.

Founder mode isn’t all that: protect yourself from it

Let’s call it like it is, founder mode isn’t a cool badge of honor. For most, if founder mode is working, I think that it’s a warning sign.

While it’s tempting to see it as a noble return to the trenches, the reality is that this hands-on, hyper-controlling approach creates more problems than it solves. It sidelines talented teams, erodes trust, and stifles innovation: all while placing an unsustainable amount of pressure on the founder.

The truth is that great companies aren’t built by a single pair of hands but by empowering many. The real magic happens when founders follow conventional management wisdom, step back, trust their teams, and focus on long-term strategy rather than short-term fixes. Founder mode might feel like a necessary move during turbulent times, but it’s rarely the right one.

So, protect yourself – and your teams – from this micromanagement masquerade. A great way to do that is with ProdPad. Here, you give everyone eyes on your roadmap and ensure that your Ideas are tied to business outcomes – two things your founder and C-level execs are going to love. The visibility and best practices built into ProdPad help maintain alignment and keep your teams working smoothly and in harmony, building trust in you.

Learn more about how ProdPad can support Product Managers with a personal demo.