Comparing data from 50 founder CEOs and 58 non-founder CEOs reveals the real differences between “founder mode” and “manager mode.” The desire to understand what makes founders tick is longstanding and has recently resurfaced in the wake of investor Paul Graham’s widely read essay on “founder mode.” To answer this question, researchers at ghSMART recently analyzed more than 1,400 data points from deep assessments of 50 successful founder CEOs and 58 non-founder CEOs in private equity–backed