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Atmrix

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Atmrix

About

DH

Drew Houston

02/24/17

@ Y Combinator

Transitioning from an engineer to a CEO requires learning to make quick, informed decisions about markets, business models, and team management.

Video

YC

Drew Houston : How to Build the Future

@ Y Combinator

02/24/17

Related Takeaways

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Nikesh Arora

12/08/23

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

To be a successful tech CEO, you need to be domain aware and savvy, understanding both the technology and the market to effectively lead your company.

BH

Ben Horowitz

04/23/25

@ a16z

The role of a CEO is incredibly challenging because you often have to make tough decisions without prior experience, and the pressure is immense as everyone depends on your success.

DH

Drew Houston

02/24/17

@ Y Combinator

Your role as a CEO evolves every six months to a year, and skills that were beneficial at one stage may hinder you at the next.

JC

Jason Citron

11/25/24

@ 20VC with Harry Stebbings

Each level of company building presents new challenges, and as a CEO, you constantly figure out how to navigate these dynamics without prior experience.

AN

Andrew Ng

08/30/23

@ Stanford Online

The process of building startups has evolved to include bringing on a CEO early in the project, which improves efficiency and knowledge transfer.

HT

Harj Taggar

03/26/21

@ Y Combinator

Deciding who will be the CEO is crucial; ideally, it should be someone who can effectively communicate with customers and investors.

BC

Brian Chesky

12/01/15

@ Greylock

Learning to hire and manage effectively became crucial as I transitioned from building a product to building a company that creates products.

JL

Jessica Livingston

07/25/17

@ Y Combinator

As a startup grows, the founder must transition from focusing solely on the product to also managing the company, which requires different skills.

Lv

Luis von Ahn

05/10/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

As CEO, I've transitioned from being a micromanager to learning to delegate, focusing on being a culture carrier and making tough philosophical decisions.