Recently in a podcast interview, Jason Citron, founder and former CEO of Discord, shared an approach to management that struck me as both simple and transformative.
In most companies, product reviews involve lengthy meetings with multiple stakeholders. At Discord, Jason flipped this model.
Instead of live demonstrations filling up calendars, his product managers send him short Loom(Video) recordings explaining the new feature, why it matters, and how it works. Jason watches them at his convenience, usually the same day, and replies—often with his own recorded video, screenshots, and comments.
This asynchronous method removes the bottleneck of aligning busy schedules.
Reviews happen wherever Jason is, not just in a meeting room.
He is quick to point out that not every conversation can be handled this way. Issues involving conflicts, priorities, or resources still require live discussions. But the number of recurring meetings has gone down sharply. Jason has even removed most of his standing meetings, keeping only those he genuinely finds rewarding.
Many management experts now recommend a similar rule of thumb: recurring meetings should take up no more than 20% of a leader’s week.
His idea resonated with me. In The Founder Catalyst book, I wrote about how large group meetings often mask the fact that only two or three people are really engaged, while the rest sit passively. Moving those conversations into focused one-on-one discussions dramatically improves both quality and efficiency.
When mentoring young founders, I caution them not to fall for the glamour of chairing big meetings. A townhall to rally the company is valuable, yes, but those are special occasions, not everyday rituals. In a remote-first setup, large group calls can become exhausting time sinks. Short, focused check-ins and some casual conversation with the team are far more effective.
Studies validate this. A 2024 Microsoft Research study (Yasaman Hosseinkashi et al.) showed that adding just two more people to a meeting lowers effectiveness and inclusiveness ratings by one percentage point. This is especially damaging in cross-departmental meetings where attendance is already large.
The evidence is clear- more people in the room rarely means better outcomes.
Reflection: Meetings should be chosen with care. When possible, make them asynchronous. When they must be live, keep them small and purposeful. What matters isn’t the number of people listening, but the clarity of decisions made.
Founder Catalyst is a no-nonsense guide for startup founders who want to become decisive, authentic CEOs—without losing their soul along the way.
Grab your copy here: https://mybook.to/foundercatalyst
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