Foundry is a premium business intelligence publication featuring 551 articles from the best founders and investors. Topics cover leadership, strategy, fundraising, growth, AI, and more.

What topics does Foundry cover?

Foundry covers leadership, investing, AI and technology, product development, founder stories, mindset and career, marketing, hiring, fundraising, strategy, and more. Articles feature insights from founders like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, and Jensen Huang.

Can I submit a story to Foundry?

Yes. You can submit a story at thefoundrybrief.com/submit. Foundry publishes articles featuring insights from founders and investors across all industries.

Vinod Khosla: I Sometimes Take Positions I Don't Believe In — Just to Make Founders Think From That Angle

By Vinod Khosla · Leadership · 2 min read

A board's job should be to challenge a founder. Have them think differently. Have them consider issues that aren't natural to them. I'll even sometimes take positions I don't believe in — only because I want them to think from that angle. Founders can never tell whether I actually believe something or not.

Key Points

A board's job is to challenge founders and make them think multi-dimensionally
A board comes in every 6-8 weeks — they can't know all the nuances of your business and shouldn't pretend to make decisions
If you have to replace the CEO, you've lost the essence of the company — surround them with people who make up for what they lack

I'll sometimes take positions I don't believe in — only because I want founders to think from that angle. They can never tell whether I actually believe something or not.

Challenge Founders to Think Differently

Khosla: In private companies, a board's job should be to challenge a founder. Have them think differently. Have them consider issues that aren't natural to them.

I'll even sometimes take positions I don't believe in — only because I want them to think from that angle. Founders can never tell whether I actually believe something or not. The job is to have them think multi-dimensionally. Founders usually come from one background, so they have a singular perspective. I try to add that multi-dimensional element.

I take positions I don't believe in — just to make them think from that angle. They can never tell.

A Board Can't Know All the Nuances

Khosla: A board comes in once every six or eight weeks. They're not spending enough time. The founders are there 80 hours a week. There's no way a board can know all the nuances of your business — and they shouldn't be pretending they can make decisions.

The only decision boards can do reasonably well is: is the CEO doing a good job? How to help them do it better? And if sometimes it becomes necessary, you replace the CEO.

A board comes in every 6-8 weeks. Founders are there 80 hours a week. A board can't know all the nuances.

Replacing the CEO Means You've Lost

Khosla: Mostly, replacing the CEO is a bad recipe. If you have to replace the CEO, you've lost the essence of a company. We try really, really hard to make a founder successful by surrounding them with people who make up for whatever experience they don't have.

If you have to replace the CEO, you've lost the essence of the company. Surround them instead.