Culture Is Not Invisible—It's Hidden in Plain Sight

You Just Need to Know Where and What to Look For

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Peter Thiel's advice was totally unexpected. He had just invested $150 million in Airbnb. CEO Brian Chesky was expecting insights about scaling the business or managing cash flow during rapid growth. Instead, Thiel told him, "Don't fuck up the culture."

Not "optimize your unit economics" or "focus on market expansion." Don't fuck up the culture.

This wasn't feel-good investor speak. Thiel understood something that most leaders miss: Culture isn't some invisible force floating around the office. It's the foundation of your business—and it determines whether your strategy will succeed or fail.

Yet the same leaders who claim culture is a top priority then hide behind its supposed invisibility when it comes to actually doing something. They spend hours dissecting quarterly numbers and drilling into strategy discussions, but when culture initiatives land on their desk, suddenly there's no time. No budget. No clear path forward.

I'm done with hearing people refer to cultur…