Paul Graham came to that conclusion after mulling over Chesky’s experiences, which many successful founders present at the moment confirmed to him. The story goes like this: as Airbnb grew, well-meaning people advised Brian to run the company in a certain way for it to scale. He hired good people and gave them room to do their jobs but the results were disastrous.

Problems arise, Graham argues, because founders cannot be sure they’ve hired great people nor will those people make the best decisions for the company. You have to activate founder mode: get into nitty-gritty details of the organization whenever possible, stay committed, and trust your founders gut.

This proposition opened up dozens of questions.

So we wondered, what founders from the CEE had to say about it.

“Gaslit” by advice from outsiders and insiders

“The advice is coming from all sides but most of it is noise”, Andrei Cretu, co-founder and CEO of Romanian startup Pluria comments.

“I’ve gotten good at ignoring advice that doesn’t match my gut feeling. Founders need to trust their instincts —outsiders don’t know the company as you do. People who haven’t built companies often don’t understand what it really takes, and following the wrong advice can do more harm than good.”

Bogdan Nicoara, CEO & Co-founder of Romanian startup Bright Spaces also believes that founders should be cautious about blindly following managerial processes if it means sacrificing gut instinct. However, he points out the challenge lies in differentiating between ego-driven decisions and true gut feelings.

“Too often, founders mistake ego for instinct, which can lead to poor choices. It’s essential to learn how to refine and trust your gut, and that often requires a mix of reflection and practice, whether through methods like meditation and mindfulness or simply forcing yourself to change perspectives.”