Motivation Through Equity and Risk-Taking

Idealab Founder and CEO Bill Gross articulates two organizational ways his company develops motivation. The first is to ensure employees working on a new spin-off venture each have a true equity stake in the startup company. The second is to encourage risk-taking at Idealab through the company’s willingness to shut down unsuccessful projects with no negative impact to employees. According to Gross, “If you really want to have some breakthrough new thing, you can’t have someone worrying about their job being on the line, for trying something bold and new.”