It started in 2012 with a blunt piece of advice from investor Peter Thiel, who, after dropping a cool $150 million on Airbnb, looked CEO Brian Chesky dead in the eye and said: “Don’t f* up the culture.” Chesky, a little surprised by the colorful language, dug deeper. Thiel explained he loved Airbnb’s culture, but … Read more
There’s a company in California with a unique approach to leadership that seems to be bearing results: Morning Star. Morning Star produces over two million tons of tomato products each year, from tomato sauce and ketchup to diced, whole peeled, and crushed canned tomatoes. But what really sets the company apart is its unusual corporate … Read more
When Devon first started as a marketing manager at Carter Software Company, he noticed a need for more communication between teams that hindered productivity and output. The sales department often promised clients features and timelines the engineering team couldn’t deliver. Frustrated engineers would then blame marketing for overpromising without checking in with them first. To … Read more
When Netflix launched in the late 1990s, it disrupted the movie rental industry by offering a DVD-by-mail subscription service without late fees. It was a novel idea that found an eager customer base. In the early years, Netflix aggressively invested in optimizing its DVD rental operations. They refined the movie recommendation algorithm, expanded their distribution … Read more