- Tech CEOs like Bezos, Musk, and Zuckerberg have unconventional management styles.
- They prioritize efficiency, flatness, and hands-on involvement in their companies.
- Other notable quirks include Huang’s 50 direct reports and Google’s “20% time” policy.
Two-pizza teams and nanomanagers: a recipe for success?
In the world of tech giants, CEOs like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg have made their mark not only through their companies’ innovations but also through their unique management styles.
Bezos, the former CEO of Amazon, famously implemented the “two-pizza rule” to keep teams small and efficient, ensuring that no team exceeded the number of people who two pizzas could feed.
He also eschewed PowerPoint presentations, instead requiring employees to write six-page memos for meetings, which began silently reading the document.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and X (formerly Twitter), describes himself as a “nano manager” involved in every aspect of his companies. He encourages employees to leave unproductive meetings and bypass the chain of command when necessary to solve problems quickly.
Efficiency, flatness, and the 20% time twist
Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, shares Musk’s hands-on approach, believing that leaders should make as many decisions and be involved in as many things as possible.
During his “Year of Efficiency,” Zuckerberg aimed to reduce bloat and create a flatter organizational structure.
Other notable management quirks include Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s 50 direct reports and his recent “Jensen special grant,” boosting employees’ stock awards by 25% amidst the AI boom.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is known for grilling employees in meetings, ensuring they have a deep understanding of their work.
Google’s cofounders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, implemented the “20% time” policy, encouraging employees to spend a fifth of their time on side projects, which led to the creation of AdSense and Google News.
