Entrepreneur
Hyper-growth is exhilarating — the pace, the scale, the market dominance. It’s what every founder and investor dreams of. However, as companies in AI, Web3 and other frontier industries double and triple their headcount within a year, there’s one major question that doesn’t get enough attention: When does a company actually need real people processes?
We’ve seen this story play out before. Southeast Asia’s tech industry has exploded over the past decade, with companies like Grab, Gojek and Sea Group scaling aggressively. But for every success story, there have been growing pains — layoffs, cultural breakdowns and leadership churn. And now, we’re watching history repeat itself in AI and Web3 as hyper-growth companies find themselves in a race to not only build great products but also build great organizations.
Related: Looking Inward to Grow Outward: 5 Keys to Managing Human Capital Through Hyper-Growth
The cost of ignoring people processes in hyper-growth
In the early days of a startup, culture is organic. Everyone is scrappy, decisions happen fast, and the org chart is more of a suggestion than a structure. However, when a company grows from 50 to 500 employees in a year, that doesn’t scale. The biggest mistake founders make is assuming that what worked at a smaller size will continue working as they 10x their team.
Look at what happened with some of Southeast Asia’s biggest unicorns. Grab and Gojek had explosive growth, but as they expanded into new markets, they had to rapidly professionalize. Grab brought in seasoned executives to help scale operations, while Gojek had to integrate multiple acquired companies under one culture. The common theme? Scaling without a people strategy leads to inefficiencies, morale issues and, in some cases, public blowback.
In the AI sector, we’re seeing similar challenges today. OpenAI has dominated the conversation with its rapid growth, but internal tensions surfaced when leadership changes created uncertainty about the company’s direction. As AI companies hire aggressively, they need to think about how to maintain a sense of mission, alignment and structure. Otherwise, they risk turning into a collection of siloed teams instead of a cohesive company.
Web3 has its own version of this. DAOs and decentralized projects champion flexibility and autonomy, but many have struggled to maintain consistency as they scale. The lack of formal processes has led to governance disputes, leadership vacuums and difficulty in coordinating large teams. The challenge isn’t just building a great product — it’s creating an organization that can sustain momentum over time.
When to introduce real people processes
The transition from “move fast and break things” to “move fast but do it sustainably” doesn’t happen overnight. However, there are clear inflection points where hyper-growth companies need to start thinking seriously about people processes.
One of the biggest signals is leadership bandwidth. In the early days, founders can directly manage culture and decision-making, but once a company scales past 100-150 employees, leadership needs leverage. That means introducing clear roles, defining responsibilities and ensuring that teams aren’t just growing in size but also in effectiveness.
Another key moment is when decision-making slows down. If hiring has outpaced internal structure, teams start spending more time figuring out who owns what instead of executing. This is where companies need to introduce clarity — whether it’s through structured onboarding, leadership training or simply better internal communication.
Related: This Entrepreneur Took His Startup to the Next Level and Hated It
Lessons from companies that got it right
Scaling isn’t just about adding people but ensuring the right people are in the right roles and working effectively together. Companies that successfully navigate this transition don’t just react to growth; they anticipate it.
Take Sea Group, the parent company of Shopee and Garena. As it expanded, it invested heavily in structured leadership programs and internal training. This helped the company maintain a strong pipeline of talent, ensuring that as the company grew, its leaders were equipped to handle increased complexity.
Stripe is another example. Even as it grew into a global payments powerhouse, it maintained a strong focus on hiring alignment. The company famously keeps a “Stripe Press” where internal knowledge is documented to ensure consistency across teams. This is a prime example of how growth-stage companies can maintain operational cohesion even as they scale rapidly.
In AI, companies like Anthropic are taking a more structured approach from the start. Instead of hiring recklessly, they’ve been intentional about how they build teams, ensuring alignment between research, engineering and business functions. This might slow down short-term hiring, but it pays off in long-term efficiency.
How growth-stage leaders can build sustainable organizations
For founders and leadership teams in fast-scaling industries, the goal isn’t to slow down growth — it’s to make sure growth is sustainable. That means making a few key shifts in how they think about people and organization-building.
First, invest in leadership early. One of the biggest reasons startups struggle at scale is because their leadership teams aren’t prepared for the next stage of growth. Formal leadership training, executive coaching and structured mentorship programs aren’t just for corporate giants; they’re crucial for startups entering hyper-growth.
Second, define culture explicitly. Many companies wait too long to codify their values, assuming they’ll naturally scale with the company. But culture doesn’t just happen — it’s built. Growth-stage companies should document what they stand for and ensure those values are reinforced in hiring, performance management and daily decision-making.
Third, balance autonomy with structure. One of the biggest fears in fast-moving industries like AI and Web3 is that too much process will slow down innovation. However, the best organizations find ways to introduce structure without killing creativity. It’s about setting guardrails, not bureaucracy.
Related: How to Navigate High-Growth Environments and Boost Revenue Through Visionary Leadership
Lastly, embrace operational excellence as a competitive advantage. Companies that invest in clear roles, efficient collaboration and knowledge sharing aren’t just avoiding problems but setting themselves up to win. The best talent wants to work in organizations where they can move fast without chaos. The companies that get this right will be the ones that attract and retain the best people.
The next wave of AI, Web3 and frontier tech companies are in the middle of their hyper-growth moment. But the ones that become true market leaders won’t just be the ones with the best products or the most funding — they’ll be the ones that build organizations capable of sustaining that growth.
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