I have also seen folks who just try things and just try again and again till they have it working. If they are hard working they produce working things that they are not entirely sure why it works but it actually works.
I have seen the members from each camp working at FAANG (or whatever the new acronym is) like companies, but I was interested to see how is the distribution among founders and successful startups and why this characteristic could have impact on their success.
If you think a middle ground is needed, how do you create that middle ground or access it?
PS: This is not a fight between cofounders trying to seek support in here. I am sure there will be future readers who use it that way. So, if you want to lean on one side, please try to explain the legitimacy of your opinion so readers can evaluate the statistical significance your opinion.
PS2: I tried to use mom test as much as possible to remove my bias from the question, as I heavily lean on one side.
That implies founders with considerable experience in both technical and business domains. They have done a lot of trial and error already, and have better instincts around risk and reward and setting priorities. Someone with little or no experience who wants to call themselves founder of something, but doesn't really know what or how, may have the drive and energy but a lot of that will get dissipated as heat and avoidable mistakes.
Also consider survivorship bias when you read startup stories. We don't hear much from the people who tried and failed, but every Ivy League dropout who gets lucky with their startup gets turned into an icon (or a guest of the penal system).
A successful founder, like a successful person in most scenarios, knows how to recognize a critical decision, has a sense of the knowns and unknowns, can leverage the strengths of their team, avoids wasting time on inconsequential matters, and has a plan to cut losses and try something else before they fall too deep into a hole. Most of that comes from experience. I don't think you can create or "access" any of that, you learn it and fill the gaps with people who have complementary skills and experience.
[1] https://hbr.org/2018/07/research-the-average-age-of-a-succes...
They come in all shapes and sizes, but they truly care about what they’re building.
Some are bad at management (especially the younger ones), relying on vision and traction to sell new hires.
Some are bad at sales, but they don’t let that stop them from becoming the #1 salesperson for their product.
Most have a team spirit and would do the dirty job that nobody else on the team would do, even if that means cleaning the metaphorical (or real) floor.
Almost all are incredibly bright, quick to make decisions, and know when to lean on others.
This isn’t to say some deliberation isn’t warranted, especially for large decisions, but most successful CEOs will have a framework for making those decisions — one that allows them to be both quick and effective.