{"id":328735,"date":"2021-08-22T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2021-08-22T06:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/ignore-what-youve-heard-techies-make-great-ceos\/"},"modified":"2021-08-22T09:00:04","modified_gmt":"2021-08-22T06:00:04","slug":"ignore-what-youve-heard-techies-make-great-ceos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ignore-what-youve-heard-techies-make-great-ceos\/","title":{"rendered":"#Ignore what you\u2019ve heard: techies make great CEOs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25da65c9072\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25da65c9072\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ignore-what-youve-heard-techies-make-great-ceos\/#The_economic_growth_of_the_last_decades_has_been_fueled_by_tech\" >The economic growth of the last decades has been fueled by tech<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ignore-what-youve-heard-techies-make-great-ceos\/#The_boffin_fallacy\" >The boffin fallacy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ignore-what-youve-heard-techies-make-great-ceos\/#Why_techies_make_good_CEOs\" >Why techies make good CEOs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ignore-what-youve-heard-techies-make-great-ceos\/#Tech_founders_are_the_better_CEOs_but_theyre_quieter_too\" >Tech founders are the better CEOs, but they\u2019re quieter, too<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ignore-what-youve-heard-techies-make-great-ceos\/#How_to_tell_if_a_techie_isnt_fit_for_the_C-suite\" >How to tell if a techie isn\u2019t fit for the C-suite<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ignore-what-youve-heard-techies-make-great-ceos\/#The_bottom_line_its_still_hard_to_make_it_but_confidence_in_techies_is_growing\" >The bottom line: it\u2019s still hard to make it, but confidence in techies is growing<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Ignore what you\u2019ve heard: techies make great CEOs<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"bcc1\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej iw\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Data nerds, computer geeks, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> morons, I\u2019m speaking to you. It\u2019s the ever-prevailing clich\u00e9: the anti<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> introverts who spend their days hacking away at some nerdy project that nobody understands. The freaks that push the frontiers of tech every day but still can\u2019t keep up with the Kardashians.<\/p>\n<p id=\"157e\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The clich\u00e9 goes further. If techies lack basic human skills like communicating effectively or cracking a funny joke, then they won\u2019t make good managers. And don\u2019t even think of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ointing such people as a CEO.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/xo23fcyip6?videoFoam=true&amp;autoPlay=true\" title=\"Whats it like to be a startup founder in Barcelona? Video\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wistia_embed\" name=\"wistia_embed\" allowfullscreen=\"\" msallowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p id=\"947f\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Of course, this is a stereotype. Most techies I know \u2014 including myself \u2014 are interesting, multi-faceted people with exciting hobbies and beautiful personalities. Most techies I know score as high in human skills as they do in their area of technical expertise. Most techies I know would be fantastic managers and CEOs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"faa7\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">But that\u2019s not the point. The underlying problem is that these clich\u00e9s exist and that enough people still believe in them. That\u2019s what is called the boffin fallacy: the belief that techies can only be good at tech, and cannot excel in other domains.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7435\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">As a consequence, techies get encouraged to pursue an academic career or to stay in their companies\u2019 R&amp;D departments. The prevailing idea among many investors, advisors, and even colleagues is that techies are not as qualified as MBAs for launching their own company or embarking on a corporate career.<\/p>\n<p id=\"0cc1\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">This culture of keeping techies out of business is especially strong in Europe and the Middle East. But it has some foothold in the US and parts of Asia, too.<\/p>\n<p id=\"f477\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">This culture, however useful it may have been in the past, is causing serious harm. Not only does it push too many career paths into pre-modeled shapes. It also hurts the overall economy and its capacity to innovate. It\u2019s about time we debunk the myth that techies can\u2019t be great CEOs.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"395e\" class=\"mt mu dm bp lq mv mw ie mx my mz ih na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm nn ej\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_economic_growth_of_the_last_decades_has_been_fueled_by_tech\"><\/span>The economic growth of the last decades has been fueled by tech<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"894b\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el no ie if eo np ih ii ij nq il im in nr ip iq ir ns it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">It\u2019s a fact: without technological innovation, we would be<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oecd.org\/industry\/tourism\/34267902.pdf\">nowhere close<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>to the living standard that we have attained. For the last two decades, much of the growth of the biggest stock indexes is due to tech companies. At the moment, this is more apparent than ever: without the tech giants, the stock market wouldn\u2019t have done<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2020\/08\/19\/tech-stocks-markets\/\">much worse<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>during the ongoing pandemic.<\/p>\n<p id=\"6ec9\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">When you think about who is leading these stellar-performing companies, they\u2019re all holders of a tech degree. Larry Page, Sergei Brin, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg are all techies turned entrepreneurs. That\u2019s no coincidence.<\/p>\n<p id=\"f36f\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">That\u2019s not to say that less technical people can\u2019t lead their companies to outstanding growth. Tim Cook, for example, has been<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tim_Cook\">business-oriented<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>since the days after he\u2019d earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in industrial engineering. Other career CEOs do similarly remarkable jobs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"2fd3\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Nevertheless, the sheer ubiquity of techies in the C-suites of top-performing companies proves that they\u2019re not incapable in the business world. Funnily enough, this phenomenon often doesn\u2019t serve as an example to other companies and investors.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3f82\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Rather, they see these CEOs with a tech background and extreme success as rarities and conclude that the average techie isn\u2019t capable of anything like that.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"8557\" class=\"mt mu dm bp lq mv mw ie mx my mz ih na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm nn ej\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_boffin_fallacy\"><\/span>The boffin fallacy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"8e06\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el no ie if eo np ih ii ij nq il im in nr ip iq ir ns it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.co.uk\/suranga-chandratillake\/boffin-fallacy_b_3090063.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAG4o24ig5-DLSAI7rsEO4kpdMIZNVeOTl-ZzNzFycx0eHI-g3ZJK3G3WjGgZVxDg_PC1Ajk2HAG8Dcc372kqp7xN4EVRGP-HOCYOC8Tkfea_j72PrhAHeVkyHtPKovhMPVgm45LoU65_6XTYn3pp1JZmfpN-hcHE-nbQy-DFVEoo\">boffin fallacy<\/a>, in short, is the false belief that techies \u2014 typically people who have a degree in STEM, and who work in a tech-related area \u2014 are boffins. A boffin, data nerd, computer geek, or science moron, is believed to be incapable of doing marketing, finance, human resources, and any other business-related activity.<\/p>\n<p id=\"cf38\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el oo ie if eo op ih ii ij oq il im in or ip iq ir os it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Most people acknowledge the existence of techies that excel at business, like the CEOs mentioned above. But they think that those are outliers and that the statistical norm is that all techies are boffins.<\/p>\n<p id=\"74c4\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">This couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. Not only do techies lead the top-performing companies of today. History is equally full of examples of tech entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9d07\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Benjamin Franklin, for example,<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Benjamin_Franklin\">invented<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>lightning rods, bifocals, the iron furnace stove, a carriage odometer, and the harmonica. He also was the owner of a print shop, a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>paper, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> store by the time he was 24, and eventually became one of the wealthiest men of his time.<\/p>\n<p id=\"f9c0\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Thomas Edison,<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thomas_Edison\">inventor<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>of the lightbulb, is another stellar example. He didn\u2019t only power scientific breakthroughs, but also brought investors like J. P. Morgan on board, and distributed his devices to the masses.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a5e7\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Other examples include<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/George_Eastman\">George Eastman<\/a>,<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marie_Curie\">Marie Curie<\/a>, and many more. These are no statistical outliers \u2014 they\u2019re a clear demonstration that techies are capable of being entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"821c\" class=\"mt mu dm bp lq mv mw ie mx my mz ih na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm nn ej\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_techies_make_good_CEOs\"><\/span>Why techies make good CEOs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"3bce\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el no ie if eo np ih ii ij nq il im in nr ip iq ir ns it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In a world where decisions are based more and more on data, and where analytic capabilities and quantitative rigor gain more and more momentum, leaders with a technological background have a clear edge.<\/p>\n<p id=\"5409\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">People without a tech background often put their soft skills forward as an advantage. Yet they fail to realize that soft skills are relatively easy to pick up and learn on the job, while quantitative skills take years of study.<\/p>\n<p id=\"0e2f\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">I\u2019m not saying that humanities are less skillful or sophisticated than sciences. I have enormous respect for people who are in the humanities \u2014 in fact, I almost pursued a degree in classic philosophy myself.<\/p>\n<p id=\"e4b1\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">However, an engineer working on microprocessors won\u2019t find it that hard to understand how to manage people, set up the financial system of a company, or do the legal stuff. Conversely, an HR manager or an accountant won\u2019t be able to contribute a thing to the architecture of a microprocessor unless they\u2019ve taken a few classes.<\/p>\n<p id=\"baf8\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">That\u2019s not to say that techies know everything about humanities. They, too, get lost when two philosophers discuss the ins and outs of a passage in Aristotle\u2019s<span>\u00a0<\/span><em class=\"ot\">Proverbs<\/em>. It just so happens that microprocessors contribute more to today\u2019s economic growth than the works of Aristotle.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4e1b\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In a <span style=\"background-color: rgba(46, 146, 255, 0.2);\">data-driven<\/span>\u00a0economy, techies clearly have an advantage when it comes to their skillset. Not only can they make use of it when it comes to the product of a tech company. They can also learn the business side of things at least as quickly as a non-techie \u2014 if not faster, since business operations are becoming more and more quantitative, too.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1364691 size-featured_img js-lazy\" alt=\"\" width=\"796\" height=\"531\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-796x531.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-796x531.jpeg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-280x187.jpeg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-405x270.jpeg 405w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-203x135.jpeg 203w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-1592x1061.jpeg 1592w\"\/><figcaption>Credit: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@kumpan_electric?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Kumpan Electric \/ Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fgrowth-quarters%2F2021%2F08%2F22%2Ftechies-make-great-ceos-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: Techies are extremely skilled people. However, there are cases when they\u2019d better stay at the lab.\" data-title=\"Share Techies are extremely skilled people. However, there are cases when they\u2019d better stay at the lab. on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share Techies are extremely skilled people. However, there are cases when they\u2019d better stay at the lab. on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>Techies are extremely skilled people. However, there are cases when they\u2019d better stay at the lab.<\/figcaption><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1364691 size-featured_img\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-796x531.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"796\" height=\"531\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-796x531.jpeg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-280x187.jpeg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-405x270.jpeg 405w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-203x135.jpeg 203w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/working-1592x1061.jpeg 1592w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"9932\" class=\"mt mu dm bp ln mv mw ie mx my mz ih na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm nn ej\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tech_founders_are_the_better_CEOs_but_theyre_quieter_too\"><\/span><strong>Tech founders are the better CEOs, but they\u2019re quieter, too<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"7db8\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el no ie if eo np ih ii ij nq il im in nr ip iq ir ns it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">VC capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which backs companies such as S<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>e, Lime, and Airbnb, puts it in<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/a16z.com\/2010\/04\/28\/why-we-prefer-founding-ceos\/\">excellent words<\/a>: tech founders are often better than hired CEOs because they know the company from the inside out, they\u2019re more courageous when it comes to changing the business strategy, and because they\u2019re committed to the long term.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7409\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The first point is pretty obvious: the founder was there from day zero, they hired the first employees, and know the product in all its details. They also know the customer base pretty well and know about all the strengths and weaknesses of the company. This puts them in a unique position of expertise.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ada4\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The second point comes as a consequence of the first: since founders made the base assumptions upon which the company operates, they\u2019re more courageous when it comes to change them.<\/p>\n<p id=\"d9a8\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">For example, when Steve Jobs rejoined Apple, he pivoted it from a computing to a personal product company. In hindsight, this was a genius move, but at the time most people thought he was mad. He had the courage because he\u2019d built Apple in the first place, and because he knew what market needs the company was capable of serving.<\/p>\n<p id=\"99fc\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The third point, long-term commitment, may not apply as much as it used to. These days, many companies get founded with a possible exit in mind. There are, however, many other founders who view their company as their life\u2019s work. Not only are these types of founders less willing to sell their companies; they\u2019re also more willing to make short-term sacrifices for long-term gains.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1bbc\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">If these tech founders happen to confirm the clich\u00e9 of being more introverted than their corporate counterparts, so be it. Research shows that<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/forge.medium.com\/the-culture-of-personality-is-a-leadership-myth-7d44bad63cd3\">introverts are better leaders<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>anyway. Business success, so it seems, doesn\u2019t depend on how loudly you talk, but on how good your decisions are.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"bc6e\" class=\"mt mu dm bp ln mv mw ie mx my mz ih na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm nn ej\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_tell_if_a_techie_isnt_fit_for_the_C-suite\"><\/span><strong>How to tell if a techie isn\u2019t fit for the C-suite<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"1cfa\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el no ie if eo np ih ii ij nq il im in nr ip iq ir ns it iu iv de ej iw\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><span class=\"s ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf fh\">F<\/span>rom this perspective, it seems almost absurd to appoint CEOs to tech companies if they don\u2019t have a technical background themselves. Indeed,<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/a16z.com\/2010\/04\/28\/why-we-prefer-founding-ceos\/\">the research<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>backs up this standpoint. There are only a few situations where it might be better to replace a technical founder with a career CEO.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li id=\"a9dc\" class=\"ov mu dm bp ln ow ox en mx oy oz eq na er pa et ne eu pb ew ni ex pc ez nm pd ej\"><strong>They don\u2019t listen to advice<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"afaa\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el no ie if eo np ih ii ij nq il im in nr ip iq ir ns it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Some founders are so in love with their own ideas that they don\u2019t want other people to mess around with them. As a result, they might block out all advice.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a5d0\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Note that I didn\u2019t say that they don\u2019t follow advice. Some of the<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/cub.club\/blog\/the-five-greatest-business-decisions-in-history\/\">greatest business decisions<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>have been taken against all advice. From Mark Zuckerberg who decided not to sell Facebook when he had the opportunity, to Reed Hastings who changed the DVD-service Netflix to a streaming service, tech history is full of decisions where founders preferred to trust their gut more than their board.<\/p>\n<p id=\"0433\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Founders should take advice into account, however. Even if they finally decide against it, they should at least have thought through all the options. Founders who don\u2019t listen to anybody have slim chances of succeeding.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li id=\"71df\" class=\"ov mu dm bp ln ow ox en mx oy oz eq na er pa et ne eu pb ew ni ex pc ez nm pd ej\"><strong>They don\u2019t understand business goals<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"63eb\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el no ie if eo np ih ii ij nq il im in nr ip iq ir ns it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">A techie-turned-entrepreneur can\u2019t live only for their product; they need to understand the business side, too.<\/p>\n<p id=\"5e45\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">It\u2019s not like in academia, where researchers throw a party if they\u2019ve secured a research grant for the next two years. At this point, they don\u2019t need to think about money until the next time they apply for a grant.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7f8f\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In industry, once you\u2019ve secured funding, you get to work. You can\u2019t take investments forever \u2014 instead, you want to be profitable at some point. Some founders are so in love with product development that they fail to recognize this extra dimension. If this is a chronic problem, it might be better to hire somebody to handle the business side of things.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li id=\"3eef\" class=\"ov mu dm bp ln ow ox en mx oy oz eq na er pa et ne eu pb ew ni ex pc ez nm pd ej\"><strong>They understand business goals but fail to implement them<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"0efd\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el no ie if eo np ih ii ij nq il im in nr ip iq ir ns it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Some founders \u2014 and, frankly, some managers and CEOs from all walks of life, too \u2014 seem unable to build a culture where goals and milestones get reached. A culture where every employee feels welcome and accepted, and where teams work productively and effectively.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fbc9\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Worse even, they might create a culture that is dominated by fear. This can lead to situations where employees don\u2019t talk about problems anymore because they\u2019re scared of being reprimanded. Eventually, this kind of leadership creates places where nobody wants to work.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3ff6\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The good news is that this last problem can be resolved in many cases through additional training. But again, if the founder seems unable to learn for a prolonged period of time, it might be better to let them to the product and hire someone else for business operations.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_bottom_line_its_still_hard_to_make_it_but_confidence_in_techies_is_growing\"><\/span><strong>The bottom line: it\u2019s still hard to make it, but confidence in techies is growing<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"e567\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el no ie if eo np ih ii ij nq il im in nr ip iq ir ns it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Although there are many points indicating that tech founders are the better leaders, the boffin fallacy persists. That\u2019s bad news for techies because it means that however qualified you are, investors, advisors, and even colleagues just might not believe in you.<\/p>\n<p id=\"8b48\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">As a founder, however, it\u2019s important to have people who believe in you. Not only does this boost your own confidence \u2014 and believe me, without confidence it\u2019ll be hard to make it anywhere. If customers don\u2019t believe in you and your product, why should they buy your product? And if investors don\u2019t believe in you, why should they ever hand you a check?<\/p>\n<p id=\"f031\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The status quo is that the boffin fallacy is everywhere you look. And as long as this persists, we\u2019re pushing perfectly qualified people into R&amp;D departments and research labs instead of letting them change the world.<\/p>\n<p id=\"90ae\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">There is a silver lining though: in Europe, as in parts of the Middle East and Asia, US investors are getting more and<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"bv hz\" href=\"https:\/\/sifted.eu\/articles\/us-vcs-europe\/\">more present<\/a>. This may be an indicator that confidence in tech founders is growing in Europe, the sad heart of the boffin fallacy, and other parts of the world.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3cbf\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">It\u2019s still hard to make it as a techie. To some degree, it will always be hard to make it anywhere. But slowly, people seem to be letting go of the boffin fallacy.<\/p>\n<p id=\"2a7d\" class=\"ia ib dm ic b el id ie if eo ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv de ej\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Times are changing, folks.<\/p>\n<p data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><em>This article was written by<span>\u00a0<\/span><span>Rhea Moutafis\u00a0<\/span>and was originally published on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/swlh\">Start it Up<\/a>. You can<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/swlh\/forget-what-youve-heard-why-techies-make-great-ceos-ef0f29859878\">read it<\/a><span>\u00a0here.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/techies-make-great-ceos-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Ignore what you\u2019ve heard: techies make great CEOs&#8221; Data nerds, computer geeks, science morons, I\u2019m speaking to you. It\u2019s the ever-prevailing clich\u00e9: the antisocial introverts who spend their days hacking away at some nerdy project that nobody understands. The freaks that push the frontiers of tech every day but still can\u2019t keep up with the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":328736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/growth-quarters?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/04\/startup-founder-presentation-gq.png&signature=9cb7cee77f47a793c5c17b7124b6afb5","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-328735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=328735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328735\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}