How Mark Zuckerberg's 'Pressure Test' Tactic Turns Criticism Into Innovation
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has an odd way of dealing with constructive feedback that involves a “pressure test.”
What To Know: According to a Business Insider report, citing a March 2024 interview with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth on “Lenny’s Podcast,” when you give Zuckerberg feedback, he sits back, listens and then disagrees with you.
“He’ll most often tell you that you’re wrong,” Bosworth reportedly said on the podcast.
That’s when it gets really weird. After Zuckerberg disagrees with the constructive criticism you give him, he will start bringing it up in unrelated meetings, asking other team members what they think about the feedback, the Meta exec said.
Bosworth called the process a “pressure test” that involves understanding several different perspectives in search of details that he may have failed to consider. After he gathers other perspectives, he will then start making changes based on the feedback that he initially shut down.
“Over the course of the next like week or two, you’ll just see shifts,” Bosworth said, calling Zuckerberg’s approach “uncanny.”
It doesn’t matter what the feedback entails or what it’s in regards to. It could be feedback on one of the company’s products or processes or even just about something he said in a morning meeting. Zuckerberg still uses the same approach to dealing with the constructive criticism, the Meta CTO said.
As it turns out, the process works and is actually very satisfying, according to Bosworth. In order to lead a company, you need to have high levels of conviction in decision making and Zuckerberg has stronger willpower than anyone he’s ever met, he said.
“It really works. It’s very effective. But you do have to like take the long view on it,” Bosworth said.
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Some elements of this story were previously reported by Benzinga and it has been updated.
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