# Founder Led Companies

By [pen0](https://paragraph.com/@pen0) · 2022-08-13

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I remember about fifteen years ago, a well-known VC said to me “you need to sell a company within a few years of the founder leaving. Companies can’t sustain their innovation after a founder leaves.” I told that VC that my experience has been different on that measure and that I did not agree.

I have seen leadership teams take over great businesses from founders and get them to the next level. Etsy, where I am Chair of the Board and a large shareholder, is a great example of that. There are many others in my career as well.

However, there is a special something that founders provide companies. I’ve heard it called “moral leadership.” I’ve heard it called “the soul of the business.” I’ve heard it called “long-term thinking.”

[This podcast with Brian Armstrong](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1l2eFW4L0A), founder and CEO of Coinbase, another public company where I am on the Board and a large shareholder, is a good example of that.

If you are into crypto or a Coinbase shareholder, you might want to watch the entire one hour and forty minutes of this video.

But if you want to see what I am talking about with founder-led businesses, there are a few conversations in this podcast I would direct you to. They are:

*   [25:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1l2eFW4L0A&t=1548s) The Drive and Vision
    
*   [29:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1l2eFW4L0A&t=1776s) The Future of Coinbase
    
*   [47:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1l2eFW4L0A&t=2850s) Public Goods & Decentralization
    
*   [51:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1l2eFW4L0A&t=3099s) Eating All the Banks
    
*   [1:32:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1l2eFW4L0A&t=5532s) Maturing and Growing

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*Originally published on [pen0](https://paragraph.com/@pen0/founder-led-companies)*