In the fast-paced world of tech startups, where scaling is often synonymous with survival, a growing chorus of industry veterans is cautioning against one common misstep: rushing to assemble a dedicated growth team. Alex Schultz, the chief marketing officer at Meta Platforms Inc., has emerged as a prominent voice in this debate, arguing that for early-stage companies, growth isn’t just a department—it’s the CEO’s personal mandate.

Drawing from his extensive experience at Meta, where he oversees marketing, analytics, and internationalization efforts, Schultz emphasizes that founders frequently err by delegating growth too soon. This insight stems from observations of countless startups that, in their zeal to mimic the structures of tech giants, overlook the foundational work only a CEO can drive.

The Pitfalls of Premature Specialization

Schultz’s perspective, detailed in a recent article by Business Insider, highlights how early hires for growth roles can dilute focus and drain resources. He points out that in the nascent phases, when product-market fit is still being refined, a CEO’s intimate knowledge of the business is irreplaceable for steering user acquisition and retention strategies.

This isn’t mere theory; Schultz draws parallels to Meta’s own evolution, where initial growth hacks were led by top executives before specialized teams took over. As reported in the same Business Insider piece, he advises founders to wear the growth hat themselves, experimenting with tactics like SEO, targeted ads, and user feedback loops until the company hits a critical mass.

Lessons from Meta’s Playbook

Industry insiders echo Schultz’s sentiments, noting that premature team-building can lead to misaligned priorities. For instance, data from Crunchbase profiles on executives like Schultz reveal how his role at Meta evolved from hands-on growth marketing—encompassing email, SMS, and SEO—to a broader strategic oversight, but only after the company had achieved massive scale.

Moreover, Schultz’s advice aligns with broader trends in startup advisory circles. In a podcast episode covered by eMarketer, he discussed the interplay between analytics and marketing, stressing that CEOs must champion data-driven decisions early on, rather than outsourcing them to unproven teams.

Balancing Innovation and Execution

Critics might argue that not every founder has the bandwidth or expertise for growth engineering, but Schultz counters this by advocating for a lean approach. He suggests CEOs leverage tools and freelancers initially, preserving capital for when a full team can truly accelerate momentum, as per insights shared in his LinkedIn profile and related LinkedIn discussions.

This philosophy resonates in today’s funding environment, where venture capitalists are scrutinizing burn rates more closely. Forbes, in profiling Schultz as one of the world’s most influential CMOs, notes his emphasis on internationalization and data science—areas that startups often neglect when growth is siloed too early.

The CEO as Growth Catalyst

Ultimately, Schultz’s message is a call to action for founders to reclaim ownership of their company’s trajectory. By integrating growth into the CEO’s core responsibilities, startups can foster a culture of agility and innovation, avoiding the bureaucracy that plagues larger organizations.

Evidence from Meta’s recent initiatives, such as its push into AI and augmented reality glasses, underscores this: Schultz himself highlighted in a Business Insider interview how high-stakes campaigns like the Super Bowl ad for Ray-Ban smart glasses required top-level involvement to succeed.

Implications for the Startup Ecosystem

As the tech sector grapples with economic headwinds, Schultz’s guidance could reshape how new ventures structure their operations. Advisors from firms like Scale AI, where Meta has invested heavily, reinforce this by promoting compact, high-impact teams led by visionary executives.

In essence, the era of blindly copying Silicon Valley org charts may be waning, replaced by a more founder-centric model that prioritizes strategic depth over hasty expansion. For industry insiders, this serves as a reminder that true growth begins at the top.