infiniteloop in  
Software Engineer  

Founder of Hashicorp leaves

Mitchell reflects as he departs HashiCorp: "I have some bittersweet news to share with you all today: I've decided to move on from HashiCorp, and I'll soon no longer be an employee with the company. I recently celebrated 11 years since starting HashiCorp, and as I reflect back on the last decade I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend that part of my life.


My departure from HashiCorp is something I’ve been thinking about and planning for a long time. Ever since founding HashiCorp, I've felt it's important to build a company where I'm not required for day-to-day operations and where other leaders can carry the torch over time. I have been very intentional about this as time went on: stepping down from being CEO in 2016, iterating over time on a culture of leadership autonomy that didn't require my involvement to make decisions, and finally departing the leadership team and board of directors in 2021. Since then, I've had the pleasure of working where I’m happiest — as a full-time, hands-on engineer."


Read the full letter: https://www.hashicorp.com/blog/mitchell-reflects-as-he-departs-hashicorp

Mitchell reflects as he departs HashiCorp

Mitchell reflects as he departs HashiCorp

After more than 11 years, HashiCorp Co-Founder Mitchell Hashimoto pens a heartfelt goodbye letter to the company he helped create.

hashicorp.com
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undertoneSoftware Engineer  
There's this tension between a company being founder-led, and a company being able to be enduring and durable without them at the helm. I used to have a bent towards the perspective that founders should always be leading as long as they are alive and capable. But I've also observed instances where companies have thrived with the proper heirs given apprenticeship to keep the ethos.
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refer61614Software Engineer  
There needs to be a strong founder driving things to a certain level of stability and vision. At some point, especially when vision is clear and realized, having someone else tighten the ship for efficiency and scale can be helpful.

I feel like Uber is a good example of this. Their founders had a vision that changed the framework of how we think about hailing a cab, and even a bright business person wouldn’t be able to push through the hurdles that brought. With a clear vision, though, a strong business leader has helped keep things sustainable in a big way.

It sounds like Mitchell likes being in the weeds, and wants to try something else in life.

Makes sense to me. When you’ve made it financially, why tie yourself to a job?
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