Articles by Ben Horowitz
Titles and PromotionsBen describes why job leveling is almost always necessary, the inherent risks with it (including the law of crappy people), and how to manage those risks with a strong promotion process.
Why I Did Not Go To JailBen shares a story on how separate his CFO and GC in his company's org chart saved him from going to jail. The broader implication is to be thoughtful about the relationship between reporting structure of departments and competing metrics. When one department reports in to another, the more likely it is that the metrics of the lower department will be subservient to the metrics of the higher department.
- How to Ruin Your Company with One Bad Process
Ben argues that founders can harm their businesses by mishandling the budgeting process. This can happen when they set goals without constraints, leading to departments leaders "gaming" the budgeting process. In this scenario, managers may try to increase the scope of the goals, make unrealistic demands, or socialize their ideas and newly found money with their teams, which can create a culture of chaos and lead to the company's downfall. Instead, Ben recommends to set clear financial targets and hold the team accountable for meeting them, and to be transparent about the budget and its limitations. It is also important to keep in mind that the budget is not a fixed plan, but rather a tool for tracking progress and making adjustments as needed.
- Good Group Product Manager / Dead Group Product Manager
Ben & David cover: • GPM vs. Sr. PM role • Appropriate Level of Paranoia • Setting clear objectives and giving clear feedback • Defining a good PM job • Working with executives • Fitting in with the organization
- Hiring Executives: If You’ve Never Done the Job, How Do You Hire Somebody Good?
Ben covers 4 steps: creating the job profile, interviewing, referencing, and making a decision. He dives the deepest into the interview section, with a variety of example interview questions.
- Titles and Promotions
Ben describes why job leveling is almost always necessary, the inherent risks with it (including the law of crappy people), and how to manage those risks with a strong promotion process.
