For a controversial strategic shift, a co-founder's "moral authority" is invaluable. They can absorb the risk of looking foolish and give up their responsibilities ("Legos") to spearhead a new initiative. This allows them to champion a new direction with a level of credibility that can overcome internal skepticism.

Dario Amodei states that at Anthropic's scale (2,500 people), his most leveraged role is not direct technical oversight but maintaining culture. He achieves this through intense, direct communication, including a bi-weekly, hour-long, unfiltered address to the entire company to ensure everyone remains aligned on the mission and strategy.

The long-standing relationship between PhonePe's co-founders, built on deep trust, allows them to be interchangeable in their roles. This enables one to step back during difficult periods while the other steps in, ensuring resilience through crises.

When Home Depot's culture began to erode due to a mindset that prioritized cost over people, the board's solution wasn't a new initiative, but a leadership change. Ken Langone credits the new CEO, Frank Blake, as a "founder" for his role in restoring the company's core cultural values.

Co-founder Slava Rubin initially dismissed defining company values as a waste of time. Co-founder Danae Ringelman championed the process, and its success was proven when Slava later asked her to return from leave specifically to reinforce the company's culture, highlighting the essential value of this work.

When co-founder Todd Carmichael faced severe burnout and offered to give up his shares, his partner J.P. Iberti refused. Instead, he encouraged a three-month sabbatical to recover, prioritizing his partner's health over the business. This act of trust and support was crucial for their long-term success.

The title "CEO" is misleading. A founder's real job is to be a firefighter, constantly on call to handle unexpected crises, from employee emergencies to losing major clients. This mindset shift from strategic leader to crisis manager better reflects the reality of entrepreneurship and its inherent volatility.

During a crisis, a CEO's job is twofold. First, ensure the best people are activated and fully supported. Second, focus on high-leverage tasks only the CEO can perform, like public communication or raising emergency capital overnight.

To transition from founder to CEO, Unbound Merino's co-founder admitted his own uncertainty and directly asked his top executive what she needed from him to consider him a great CEO. This act of vulnerability built trust and provided a clear path for his leadership development.