The “Shark Tank” star made the pronouncement in an X post on Thursday, referencing the term coined by Y Combinator cofounder Paul Graham.
Graham published a titular essay on the subject on Sunday. In it, he contrasted the hands-on approach taken by founders with the delegative nature of managers.
“Hire good people and give them room to do their jobs. Sounds great when it’s described that way, doesn’t it? Except in practice, judging from the report of founder after founder, what this often turns out to mean is: hire professional fakers and let them drive the company into the ground,” Graham wrote in his essay.
Graham’s essay didn’t specify which business leaders were in “Founder Mode,” though it did mention Airbnb cofounder and CEO Brian Chesky and the late Apple founder Steve Jobs.
Cuban himself weighed in on the topic on Tuesday, saying in an X post that founders need to be dedicated to their businesses.
“They do need to be self aware and find people who can offer skills they don’t have, and also won’t slow them down,” Cuban wrote.
“Where things go bad is when you fall into the trap of believing every management hire is some form of silver bullet, then it’s over. If the founder or founding team isn’t the silver bullet, it’s going to be a tough road ahead,” he added.
You are right on. Once you have product market fit, the founder is going to be consumed with everything they know needs to be done. It’s a non stop race to build the plane in the air
They do need to be self aware and find people who can offer skills they don’t have, and also…
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) September 2, 2024
But while “Founder Mode” might be more closely associated with the world of tech and Silicon Valley, Cuban believes that Harris is an example of it.
Cuban’s compliment came after he gave an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” during which he commented on Harris’ stance on entrepreneurship.
“She’s talked more about entrepreneurs and helping them have access to investment and making it easier for people to invest in startups than any president that I’ve ever heard talk about startups and entrepreneurs,” Cuban told CNBC host Andrew Ross Sorkin.
Cuban initially endorsed President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign before shifting his support to Harris after she took over as the Democratic nominee.
During his interview with CNBC, Cuban said he was in regular contact with Harris’ team and has even offered to serve on her administration if she wins this November.
“I told her team, ‘Look, put my name in for the SEC,'” Cuban told Sorkin. “It needs to change.”
Cuban and the Harris campaign didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.
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