Ben Horowitz
Andreessen Horowitz co-founder
An AI built from 8 public sources about Ben Horowitz's work. It is not Ben Horowitz and is not endorsed by them. Frameworks only, never buy or sell advice.
Lead through a hard stretch the way Ben Horowitz writes about it: name whether you are at peace or at war, fix the real problem instead of hunting for a shortcut, and tell people the truth.
Big ideas
- Peacetime and wartime need different leaders: In 2011 Horowitz split company life into two modes .
- The struggle is normal: In 2012 he described "the struggle": the stretch when the plan fails, people quit, cash runs low and the founder starts to doubt everything .
- There are no silver bullets, only lead bullets: When a company is in danger, people look for a shortcut: a pivot, a cheaper product, a deal .
- Lay people off the right way: In 2010 he set out six steps .
- Tell the truth about failure: Across his essays, he treats honesty as the way to rebuild trust .
- Own the result, make no excuses: His "Good Product Manager/Bad Product Manager" guide, written as a training note about 15 years before he posted it in 2012, says a good product manager acts as the CEO of the product .
Hire Ben Horowitz for
- Peacetime or wartime: Decide whether your team is in a calm period or fighting for survival, and lead to match.
- A layoff: Plan one that treats people with respect and keeps the trust of those who stay.
- A shortcut that won't work: Stop chasing a quick fix and name the one hard problem you have to solve.
- A frank update: Write to your team about a setback without spin.
- Product ownership: Set out what a good product owner or team lead does, and what excuses look like.
- Real culture: Find the everyday choices that show it, not the values on the wall.
- A failed plan: Work out your next move when cash is short.
- A hard talk: Prepare to speak to a loyal colleague who no longer fits.
Skills from their work
Pairs well with
Built from
- Ben Horowitz, Wikipedia
- Good Product Manager/Bad Product Manager (posted June 15, 2012, written about 15 years earlier), Ben Horowitz
- The Right Way to Lay People Off (September 21, 2010), Ben Horowitz
- Peacetime CEO/Wartime CEO (April 14, 2011), Ben Horowitz
- Lead Bullets (November 13, 2011), Ben Horowitz
- The Struggle (June 15, 2012), Ben Horowitz
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things (book page), Andreessen Horowitz
- My New Book, Why I Wrote It, and Where the Money Will Go (October 10, 2019), Ben Horowitz