Last week, a colleague asked why I’d hired an additional new leader onto
an important area rather than expanding an existing leader’s scope to
incorporate that area as well. The existing leader was a known quantity
and doing well, so why not keep expanding them?
It’s a good question, and depending on the circumstances I might have done
either, but explaining why I specifically brought in a new leader this time
depends a bit on a distinction I think of as early versus late-stage hypergrowth.

Lethain, authored by Will Larson, offers a unique perspective on engineering management, leadership, and organizational dynamics. Developers and engineering leaders can explore topics such as team building, career growth, and organizational design, gaining insights into building high-impact engineering organizations. With thoughtful reflections and actionable advice, Lethain serves as a resource for those navigating the complexities of engineering leadership.

Irrational Exuberance

A reflection on the distinction between early-stage and late-stage hypergrowth and how it affects leadership decisions. In early-stage hypergrowth, companies serially solve their biggest problems, making it sensible to expand existing leaders' scope. In late-stage hypergrowth, companies must solve everything simultaneously to satisfy a skeptical late majority, making that approach counterproductive. The author draws a parallel to the current AI era, noting that small AI-empowered teams can speedrun early hypergrowth but it remains unclear whether the same approach works for late-stage hypergrowth — pointing to challenges like Anthropic's messaging to Claude Code power users as symptoms of this transition.

Early and late-stage hypergrowth.