#90: Jason Kelly, Ginkgo Bioworks Cofounder & CEO—How to Simplify the Complex

Today’s guest is Jason Kelly, the cofounder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks, the largest designer of synthetic DNA in the world.

Think back to the last time someone asked you what you did for a living. For as simple of a question this is, it can actually be really hard to answer. The reason is, in the back of your mind you might be thinking “where do I even start?!” 

Running a business is complex! But until you learn to simplify all of the complexity and learn to talk about what you do in a simple way, you’ll be limiting the kind of impact you could be making as a leader.

And this is something that Jason Kelly has mastered. I mean, tell me a more complex business to have to explain than a synthetic biology platform company. And yet, Jason has learned to simplify the complex. I’m no bioengineering buff but when I hear Jason talk about Ginkgo and what’s possible with the technology they’re pioneering and scaling, he has me leaning in! 

So whether you’re leading a billion-dollar brand or a small business, how you communicate as a leader matters. The great leaders I know have learned to simplify the complex.

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