Technical founders: as CEO, storytelling is the core job you can't skip
paigeinsf · x · 2026-11-04
Jamie Gull reminds technical founders that starting a company makes you the "chief storyteller."
- Many technical founders assume a great product will speak for itself — it usually won't.
- A CEO's biggest job is repeatedly explaining what you're doing to investors, customers, candidates, and your own team, without assuming shared technical context.
- This isn't about becoming a marketer or dumbing things down; it's about explaining complex ideas clearly enough that people actually care.
- The test: can you convey what you're building, why it matters, and why now — without spending the first ten minutes teaching?
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