From Start-Up to Grown-Up

#75: Jeff Shiner, CEO of 1Password — Earning the right to lead, how to thrive while bootstrapping your company, and how to hire senior executives

Sep 10, 2024

Jeff Shiner, CEO of 1Password, shares his journey from leading a 20-person team to a $6.8 billion global entity. He dives into the importance of earning respect as a new leader and the challenges of hiring during rapid growth. Shiner discusses the art of bootstrapping and strategic fundraising, emphasizing customer needs over external investment. He opens up about personal growth and the loneliness of leadership, while also finding joy in managing a farm and restoring a tractor – showing how he balances work and personal fulfillment.

01:09:48

Episode guests

Jeff Shiner

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Quick takeaways

Jeff Shiner highlights the importance of a strong company culture and leadership alignment which fosters trust and collaboration among teams.

1Password's successful bootstrapping strategy for 14 years allowed the company to understand market needs deeply while avoiding venture capital pitfalls.

Hiring practices prioritizing cultural fit over pedigree ensure that new executives integrate well into the fast-paced environment of growing companies.

Deep dives

Growth from 20 to 1200 Employees

Jeff Scheiner led One Password's growth from a small team of 20 employees to over 1200 during his tenure as CEO. He emphasized the importance of aligning with the company's mission and culture, positioning himself as part of a 'gang of five' leadership team during his early days. This leadership approach fostered a collaborative environment where he built trust by leading by example. By focusing on hiring talent that fitted the culture, he successfully scaled the organization and maintained a positive work atmosphere.

Simplify to Amplify

01:11

The weight of leadership often bears the heaviest on the leader's shoulders.

00:39

Focus on Problems, Not Ideas

01:11

Lead by Example, Not Just Title

01:03

Intro

2min

The Birth of One Password

5min

Navigating Leadership Transitions

16min

Bootstrapping Success: A 14-Year Journey

13min

Strategic Fundraising and High-Profile Endorsements

5min

Navigating Growth: Challenges and Strategies

15min

Finding Peace on the Farm

4min

Navigating Leadership Challenges

10min

Jeff Shiner is the CEO of 1Password, a leader in human centric security and privacy. Since joining in 2012, Jeff has grown the company from 20 people to a 900-employee global organization with a $6.8 billion valuation. Today, 1Password enables over 100,000 businesses and millions of individuals to navigate the digital world without fear or friction when logging in – and in less time. The company has been recognized on the Forbes Cloud 100 list and Quartz’s Best Companies for Remote Workers. Prior to joining 1Password, Jeff held leadership roles at IBM Canada and Rosetta and has a demonstrated history of growing technology companies. Jeff also currently serves on the Board of Directors of GenomOncology, a company that provides the healthcare community with data-driven insights to improve cancer care.

Jeff is a noted speaker at events like Web Summit, Collision, and the C100. He also provides regular commentary to top-tier publications like Fast Company, Forbes, ZDNet, and VentureBeat, among others. When he’s not busy being a CEO, Jeff enjoys watching the 49ers, spending time on his tractor, and adding to his LEGO collection with his son – he’s the proud owner of more than 1,000 pounds of bricks!

This episode of From Start-Up to Grown-Up features Jeff Shiner, CEO of 1Password, who offered an unguarded look into his journey scaling a company from 20 people to 1200 employees.

This episode is particularly valuable for first-time founders, as Jeff covers how to mitigate the lonely job as a founder by making smart hires, what you can do to cultivate a strong team through reflective hiring practices, and the activities that can ground you and give perspective.

This is such a powerful and practical episode that will bolster all founders and leaders with resolve!

Learn more about 1Password | Website
https://www.1Password.com

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