An Unwritten Playbook

The strangest fact in the essay: despite founders being the engine of the startup economy, there are no books on founder mode. Business schools don't know it exists. Whatever individual founders have figured out, they've figured out alone, in the dark, while being told they were wrong.

PG predicts that once the concept has a name and legitimacy, founders can stop feeling guilty about their instincts and start comparing notes. In a few years, he expects founder mode to be roughly as well understood as manager mode is now.

The practical takeaway for a founder today: the discomfort you feel when told to step back from the details is not a character flaw to manage away. It may be the most valuable signal you have.