I work for an entertainment software startup, and I’ve watched for five years as my CEO has focused the company on creating demos to get investment, and short term deals with large companies using what we have. This has resulted in burnout, attrition, and massive tech debt.
There is a time and place for this, but five years in, we haven’t invested our resources in making an MVP we can build a customer base on. The board is finally asking that we have a revenue plan, but in a recent conversation, the CEO told me he has no plans to make money over the next year or attempt to scale users. His vision is high level, without details on strategy. At this point, the CTO and head a product are pretty much in my corner, sharing my concerns.
I don’t want to just assume he’s an idiot. He’s a gifted talker, but there’s a kind of reality distortion at play that I just don’t get. It’s like he’s ignorant to how software development works, yet is the CEO of a software company. Maybe he just hopes we’ll be purchased.
Point is, how can I help right this ship as a non-founder, but senior level early employee? What should I be empathetic to? What’s a sign that he really doesn’t know what he’s doing?
My first thought was what everyone is saying here sounds like time to make a different bet.
But, since you asked for advice on being the difference you want to see at the company:
You should put some time on his calendar and have a crucial conversation. He’ll respect your questions and insight. If not, that’s a further sign that maybe it’s time to move on. Just say what you said in this post, maybe a little softer. See if you like what he says.
You could write up a product spec for the MVP that you think people want and recommend that you heads down crank that out. He probably has that on his mind since the board is demanding a revenue plan.
I wouldn’t worry about empathy right now, just get in there and talk. You’ll find what you need to be empathetic about. But, at the same time, he’s a CEO and should be held to a high performance bar.
Seems like this is pretty clear:
the CEO told me he has no plans to make money over the next year or attempt to scale users
Either go to the board with your fellow concerned folks and watch it implode or wait for it to implode. Either way, I’d update your resume.
It probably makes sense to leave if you can get a better position elsewhere.
If you want to stay, consider making a solid execution plan with the head of product and CTO, then present that to the CEO. The CEO may actually see that as your/their responsibility and appreciate it.
But if they still refuse to launch a product that generates revenue after you deliver a compelling and concrete plan then definitely leave.
My 2 cents… if you’re consistently managing up (I’ve done it a lot)… you’re in the wrong job. Talk is cheap— they all talk well. I’d say upwards of 70% of Executives are unqualified or incompetent for the job and slowly sinking their ships— nothing you’ll be able to do about it.
Zuckerberg going on and on about VR would be an example. ;)
Would you be standing around on a sinking ship asking who you can be empathetic to? Or would you just leave?
as others have said … leave … cut your losses. if you want to fix it, you should have been engaged in that process much earlier. No MVP yet, what happens when someone is ready to invest? you all scramble and make something which does not sell/work? Plus, when will you start generating the user base ??
5 years? And not even an MVP yet? This is not a company
“one of these days”
It’s actually quite a talent to survive 5 years without an MVP.
Fucking wild tbh.
Idk how you even do that.
He’s not much of a visionary if he can’t envision a path to profit. I would be planning my exit in these circumstances.
Are you really interested in staying? Because I would quit.
Does the CEO have a plan, signed off by the board? Budget? Dev roadmap? Strategy? Marketing plan? Vision? Proof of scalability? Etc.
It’s the Board’s job to set these things and monitor/support progress. If you’re on the Board, you should be asking the CEO to produce these things. As an employee, it’s a major alarm bell if the CEO doesn’t have these corporate documents laid out, for senior employee buy-in.
You seem emotionally intelligent, I think all you can do is engage the CEO constructively and supportively. Sorry I can’t be more specific - not enough info.
What would you want you to do if you were in the CEO’s shoes?
The CEO you’re describing is not listening to his board, to his employees, or to his customers. He doesn’t seem trained in this area or attempting to learn.
Folks like this typically don’t learn until they fail hard at something (and sometimes not even then). But the period in which a CEO is failing can be excruciating for the team supporting them.
Do you have some professional goal for staying longer? Otherwise, don’t buy into the sunk costs; there are better jobs out there.
Five years? Get out of there already.
Your dude is playing the investors.
Do you have any ideas that he doesn’t have, out of curiosity?
5 years in with no MVP? Go do anything else
Has anyone tried turning the CEO off and on again? Sometimes a simple reboot can fix those reality distortion issues.