VC Peeked at Unicorn Founders' Calendars: 40% Hiring, 50% Special Projects
letandrewcook · x · 2026-10-22
A VC peeked at the calendars of unicorn founders in their portfolio and found that once a company works, founders' weeks split roughly 10% maintaining culture, 40% hiring, and 50% "special projects."
A special project means the founder acts as a one-person R&D initiator, crossing org lines and moving without a committee — fast and with conviction, two qualities that decay as companies grow. Special projects come in two kinds; the first deliberately breaks momentum when the company is executing well in a direction that is no longer right.
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