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Keith Rabois explains “Founder Mode” and its similarities to how PayPal was run in the early days At PayPal, promotions weren’t about managing—they were about mastery. The best designer led design. The best engineer led engineering. No middle managers. No corporate ladder-climbing. Just experts leading experts. This approach isn’t new, but it’s making a comeback. Airbnb is cutting middle management. Paul Graham’s “Founder Mode” went viral. Elon Musk slashed X’s headcount by 80% and promoted top performers to leadership. Apple has done this for years. They don’t promote generalists. They promote the best in the world at their craft. That’s how they built greatness. But what if your top performer isn’t a natural leader? Promote them anyway. Train them. Mentor them. At least your team will respect them because they earned it. Now flip the scenario. You hire an outsider who’s never built, never sold, never done the work—and make them the boss. The team asks, Who the hell is this? And they’re right. The lesson? Promote builders. Train them to lead. But never let managers outrank masters. Follow Vishu Bheda for more valuable startup insights from the world's best founders!