Hi, I’m Kieran Snyder
Build like a founder
You don’t have to be a founder to operate like one.
I’m a former CEO who helps ambitious operators build like founders, regardless of their title. My clients include startup CEOs, C-suite execs, and ambitious leaders inside large organizations, all leading with founder-level clarity, urgency, and ownership.
I spent half my career as a senior operator at industry giants like Microsoft and Amazon, and the other half founding and running Textio, a high-growth VC-backed startup. Whether you’re an ambitious operator building your career or a founder yourself, whether you’re a leader at a big company or a startup, I’ve been in your shoes.
My framework for building founder-grade leaders
Over years of coaching, leading, and scaling companies, I’ve found that great leadership comes down to mastery in three areas:
→ Thinking like a founder: Get clear on what matters, what to say, and when to move
→ Leading like a founder: Build the right team, give real feedback, and hire with intention
→ Executing like a founder: Drive progress through chaos, scale yourself, and build systems that stick
Who am I?
Kieran Snyder is the Founder of nerd processor, where she coaches the world’s best founders, operators, and companies. In her weekly nerd processor newsletter, she tells viral data stories about AI and the future of work. Her work on workplace communication, AI, and technology have been featured by Fortune, The New York Times, Forbes, Fast Company, Slate, The Washington Post, the Radical Candor podcast, WIRED Gadget Lab, and many others.
In 2014, she co-founded Textio, a software company that helps organizations write fair and unbiased feedback. She served as the company's CEO for nine years and is currently Chief Scientist Emeritus. She was Geekwire's CEO of the Year in 2021. In 2023, she was invited to brief Congress on bias in AI and she was named to the Forbes Future of Work 50.
Prior to founding Textio, Kieran earned her PhD in natural language processing at Penn and spent a decade creating the world’s most impactful language products as a product and engineering leader at Microsoft and Amazon.
She currently serves as Founder in Residence at Operator Collective and is on the boards of Textio, Kit, and Atlas AI. She is the author of Team Success Hacks, Viral Data Stories 101 and teaches Viral Data Stories 201 workshops for teams.
I understand ambitious founders and operators. Whether you're a new executive or more seasoned, whether you work at a large organization or a startup, I've been there and get what you're going through.
You don’t have to be a founder to operate like one. My clients include startup CEOs, C-suite execs, and ambitious leaders inside large orgs, all leading with founder-level clarity, urgency, and ownership.
I offer both self-serve courses and customized team workshops designed to help you operate like a founder. Offerings include Viral Data Stories, Hiring for Impact, and many more.
I publish data stories about management, career development, technology, and business on stages big and small, public and private. I've published my research in Fortune, Forbes, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Slate, Fast Company, and many more. I've also spoken at the world's most prominent business schools and computer science programs, keynoted at major industry events, done private talks for executives and teams, and offered private AI briefings to Congress.
These days, I'm most often telling stories about (1) AI, bias, and the future of work, and (2) Management and team building now and in the future. I tell stories weekly in the nerd processor newsletter. Find back issues and subscribe here!
Get in touch
Workshop, speaking, and coaching applications. Data story ideas. Nerdy things you recommend I read. Feedback on my website, the nerd processor newsletter, and especially my comics. Leave a note below!