Cheeky Pint Meta CFO Susan Li on headcount vs. GPU allocation, “free cash flow” hats, and almost becoming a PM
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Jun 18, 2025 
Susan Li, the youngest CFO of a Fortune 100 company, shares her journey at Meta since 2008. She delves into the evolution of Mark Zuckerberg's leadership style and the culture of feedback at Meta. The conversation highlights the intricate balance of capital allocation between GPUs and headcount, as well as the humorous story behind "free cash flow" hats. Susan also discusses financial forecasting challenges and how AI is reshaping productivity, making room for more meaningful work in tech.
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David Ebersman's Confidence Boost
- Susan Li shared how David Ebersman, Meta's then-CFO, encouraged her to see herself as a potential future CFO.
- This gave her confidence to pursue finance leadership instead of product management at Meta.
Mark Zuckerberg's Feedback Mastery
- Mark Zuckerberg has evolved into an excellent public speaker and masterful feedback giver over 17 years.
- His feedback is timely, direct, respectful, and highly effective at driving improvement.
Balancing ROI and Innovation Bets
- Meta excels at finely measuring core products' ROI to fund positive-return initiatives.
- For innovative bets, they estimate potential long-term market value to guide investment, accepting high uncertainty.