This is a free preview of a premium episode. To subscribe to Down Round Premium and get access, head here. The tech world has been ablaze over the past week or so, both ironically and unironically, about the concept of Founder Mode. Inspired by a short essay by Paul Graham, 'founder mode' vaguely posits that there's a natural point in a startup's existence where it gives up being led by a single founder with a ton of agency, and instead becomes led by professional managers via delegation. Graham, and others, suggest that you don't need to do that, and can keep running even very big tech businesses as a lethal operator calling all the shots. In this freewheeling ep, we discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.