From Fortune · Orianna Rosa Royle · · 1m 50s
Facebook cofounder: CEO job was exhausting, never wanted it
Dustin Moskovitz led Asana for 13 years as an introvert who never intended to manage. He is far from alone: 82% of managers fell into the role by accident.
In brief
Dustin Moskovitz led Asana for 13 years as an introvert who never intended to manage. He is far from alone: 82% of managers fell into the role by accident. Dustin Moskovitz, Facebook cofounder and former Asana CEO, says managing was exhausting and never his intention. Research shows eighty-two percent of managers are…
From CTO to CEO at Asana
Dustin Moskovitz cofounded Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg, became the company's first CTO, then left to found Asana, a project management platform, in 2008. He led Asana as CEO, taking it public in September 2020.
Never wanted to manage people
Moskovitz stepped down last year after thirteen years as CEO.He admitted the top job was never for him.I don't like to manage teams, he said, and it was never his intention to do so.
“I don't like to manage teams”
The exhaustion of the role
I just found it quite exhausting, Moskovitz told Stratechery in twenty twenty-five, adding he is really an introvert. He described having to put on this face day after day as CEO.
“I just found it quite exhausting”
The job got harder, not easier
Moskovitz hoped delegating more would let him focus on running the company behind the scenes. Instead, the opposite happened. The world kept getting more chaotic with the first Trump presidency, the pandemic, and race issues.
Eighty-two percent are accidental managers
Research shows eighty-two percent of bosses are accidental. They had zero training and were thrust into the role because they excelled at functional or technical work. A quarter end up in senior leadership roles.
Demands on managers keep rising
Gerrit Bouckaert, CEO of Robert Walters, a recruitment firm in thirty-one countries, said accidental management has become more pronounced.
The main idea
Dustin Moskovitz, Facebook cofounder and former Asana CEO, says managing was exhausting and never his intention. Research shows eighty-two percent of managers are accidental, thrust into roles they did not seek.
