MacInnis: Early founders should delay income statements to prioritize product velocity
Matt MacInnis · What Mistake Founders Make With A-Players | Matt MacInnis | COO Rippling · Feb 7, 2026 · at 21:16
Matt MacInnis, former COO and CPO of Rippling, discusses operational discipline and avoiding premature administrative bureaucracy in early-stage startups.
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“Don't do the income statement if there is work to do over here on the product, because you can always clean the income statement up later, but the minute you leave a crack for a competitor to come in and steal your lunch is gone. And you just have to have that mindset. And I do think it's like any of the accoutrements that people pursue early in the company's existence those are calories that could have been spent on something that had a much higher impact on the outcome of your business.”
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