“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies Molly Graham on Founder Depression and Executive Team Dynamics
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Nov 4, 2025 Molly Graham, a seasoned Silicon Valley operator and early contributor to Google and Facebook, shares insights on founder depression and executive dynamics. She discusses how metaphors like 'Bob the Monster' help navigate workplace emotions and the loneliness of startup life. Molly emphasizes the need for business-first leaders who focus on unit economics, along with the importance of relationships among executives. She also reveals her unique hiring philosophy and the significance of aligning candidate motivations with company culture.
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Metaphors For Emotions At Work
- Molly explains how she invented the 'Legos' and 'Bob the monster' metaphors to externalize emotions at work.
- She used those metaphors to help colleagues give up projects and manage anxiety while scaling teams.
Founder Depression Is Common And Hidden
- Molly says founder depression is under-discussed and normalizes the intense emotional turbulence of founding.
- She urges sustained conversation to catch people before they take dramatic actions.
From Big Tech Scale To Startup Emptiness
- Molly contrasts experiences at Google, Facebook, and Quip and describes shock at startup 'emptiness' after launch.
- She recounts feeling like 'the car driving off a cliff' until a friend told her this was normal for startups.