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Management, leadership & organizations: videos Hacker News recommends
Management: leadership, team building, company culture, flat organizations, hiring, remote work, meetings, organizational design, negotiation, decision making in companies. Below: every video in this topic that at least three HN users linked with real commentary, in at least three different months (36 talks, 11 interviews, 6 commentarys), best-scored first, with the comments on each video page.
- 15 HN recommenders 15 months 2016–2025HN treats it as the standard short summary of how power and political incentives work, applied to governments, companies and workplaces.
- 4 HN recommenders 10 months 2017–2021HN people cite it constantly as the clearest explanation of normalization of deviance and how complex systems drift toward failure.
- 9 HN recommenders 10 months 2010–2017Repeatedly called one of the most useful talks on building organizations and managing creative teams.
- 11 HN recommenders 10 months 2010–2022HN uses it in discussions of pay, management, and motivation as the standard short explanation of autonomy, mastery and purpose.
- 12 HN recommenders 9 months 2022–2026HN treats it as the definitive explanation of Conway's Law and links it in almost any thread about org structure shaping software.
- 17 HN recommenders 8 months 2020–2022HN recommends it constantly in work-from-home, burnout and procrastination threads as practical advice for separating work from life at home.
- 9 HN recommenders 7 months 2018–2025HN treats it as a classic, must-watch talk for any discussion of company values, and especially for its takedown of Amazon's leadership principles.
- 9 HN recommenders 7 months 2023–2025Commenters point to it whenever Artemis, SLS or Starship refueling comes up, as a candid and critical engineering assessment delivered directly to NASA.
- 11 HN recommenders 8 months 2021–2024HN cites it as evidence of Musk's hands-on engineering depth and for his advice to question requirements and not optimize things that should not exist.
- 6 HN recommenders 7 months 2015–2024Recommended as a quick way to get the core of 'Start with Why' for pitches and communication, though some note small companies are not Apple.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2011–2024HN regulars recommend it as a career-shaping talk on code review, humility and collaborative development.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2017–2018D David Crossman · interviewHN commenters recommend it for its take on managing young employees and on how technology and approval-seeking affect behavior.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2011–2022HN commenters cite it to explain why customers buy into a company's beliefs rather than its specs, especially in threads about Apple, marketing and product messaging.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2019–2024Strongly recommended as a gripping case study whose lessons carry over to engineering management and safety.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2022S Stuart Walker · talkHN commenters cite it whenever a thread involves ignored warnings, shortcuts or routine risk, as the clearest introduction to the concept.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2010–2014Strongly recommended as a gripping hour on K2 and on leadership and summit fever in extreme conditions.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2024B bert hubert · talkHN points to it as a sharper explanation of why outsourcing and specialization erode deep expertise, in threads on Intel, Boeing and software decline.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2016–2025E Etsy Eng (Etsy Engineering) · talkLinked often in hiring-process threads for the anecdote about Google's committee refusing to hire itself, as evidence interviews are noisy.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2010–2016HN commenters point to it in discussions of shorter workweeks and productivity, arguing that rest and energy matter more than hours.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2024U UC Berkeley Events · lectureUsed in hiring and management debates as an analysis of fast evaluation, quick dismissal without stigma, and the cost of keeping underperformers.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024HN recommends it whenever 'why don't you just...' comes up as an example of arrogant, dismissive advice.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2025S Steven Brant · talkHN favors it as a compact, quotable management and systems-thinking talk, often cited for doing the right thing versus doing the wrong thing right.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–20179 99U · talkHN commenters point to it as a quick way to get the key concepts of the book and as an introduction to leadership thinking.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2023A Arrested DevOps · podcast episodeHN recommends Cantrill's integrity rant when discussing corporate ethics and companies that act on principles.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2022T The BigTime Group · videoHN points to it as a model for firing or laying off people clearly and respectfully.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2020M Max Joseph · commentaryHN recommends it as a thoughtful critique of the great-leader-as-jerk myth in threads on difficult bosses.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2015Recommended to understand what the 37signals founders stand for and DHH's contrarian takes on tech business.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2026B Bo Manton · interviewQuoted whenever HN discusses process-heavy management and companies losing their product focus.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2010–2026HN cites it whenever money as an incentive comes up, as evidence that rewards can backfire for creative white-collar work.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2022E Entrepreneurship.org · talkHN recommends it as the classic counterpoint to Silicon Valley growth-at-all-costs startup thinking.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2025A Allen Holub · talkRecommended in estimation and sprint debates as a well-reasoned account of where waste is and isn't in agile.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2025B blogphilofilms · talkPointed to as an in-depth view of how Valve is run and how Newell thinks about workers, management and customers.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2026D Derek Sivers · explainerA go-to short explanation of how movements start and why early followers matter.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–20255 52 Living Ideas · lectureHN readers recommend it as the way to learn what Boyd actually meant by OODA, straight from a collaborator, rather than from the popularized loop diagram.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2023Often brought up as an honest account of microservice sprawl, including the fact that nobody at Uber knew exactly how many services existed.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2021HN recommends it as a well-done history of Skunk Works, popping up in SR-71 threads.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2024Recommended as well-researched, interview-based coverage of the Valve model and its failures, often linked in threads about Valve and flat organizations.
- 1 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2020HN cites it as a firsthand account of how dysfunctional large IT projects can be, with about 50 contractors and no one in charge.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2017M modplanman · lectureHN recommends it as an amazing, clear explanation of why incumbents move upmarket and lose to low-end challengers.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2026D Designer's Digest · interviewCited constantly on HN whenever a large company declines, as the canonical explanation of product people being pushed out by sales and marketing.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2020R Reinventing Organizations · talkRecommended as the best introduction to self-management and new management paradigms.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2025E Evan Carmichael · commentaryCited in threads on management, hiring and company culture for Jobs's views on self-managing people and small, self-policing core teams.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2024HN commenters share it as an inspiring reflection on what to optimize in life beyond career, especially in threads on burnout and meaning.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2023T Tom Raftery · talkCited as the go-to evidence that rudeness drives contributors away and that toxic people must be removed from projects.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2017D David Mitchell's Soapbox · comedy videoHN people share it as a funny and apt take whenever job postings or recruiters demand passion.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2026Recommended as a clear description of how Kanban works and a practical alternative to sprints.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2019M MindSpring · explainerHN commenters cite it as a compact illustration of empowered, decentralized leadership, for founders and for managers who try to control everything.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2011–2015HN commenters point to it as a general overview of the cognitive science of insight and focus that is useful for developers and knowledge workers.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2018G GV (Google Ventures) · talkHN recommends it as an interesting look at the psychology research behind bias in hiring and performance reviews.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2017T The LBJ School · talkHN cites it for how Valve works: hiring unconventional talent, paying by value, firing as aggressively as hiring, and why open offices fail.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2024K Kumar Saurav · commentaryHN cites it as the standard explanation of how finance and sales take over a company, applied to Boeing and other declining firms.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2026B Benjamin Staffin · comedy videoUsed as a shorthand joke for Google-scale bureaucracy and the difficulty of simple tasks at large companies.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2016–2025V vsrr83 · interviewHN cites it for Feynman's insights on NASA risk reasoning, blame and engineering culture, and the contrast between Apollo and the Shuttle.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2022A AllAboutLean.com · documentaryHN finds it fascinating and suggests the technique for keeping operators like test drivers attentive.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2021Cited as a source for Boeing's post-merger cultural decline and the undermining of its engineers.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2023HN uses it as a firsthand account from an astronaut who worked with Musk, cited in arguments about Musk's engineering ability and SpaceX culture.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2026T Think Multiply · interviewHN cites it whenever a company stagnates, from Intel to Boeing, to explain what happens when salespeople or finance run the business.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2022HN refers to it in career and promotion discussions, including its warning about doing glue work too early in your career.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2026HN points to it to explain that Stack Overflow's strict moderation was deliberate design, not accident.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2026S Steve Jobs · interviewReached for constantly as the explanation for why dominant companies like Intel, Boeing and Blizzard stop innovating.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2010–2020Recommended as a short leadership talk that commenters have shown to many people.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2024A AWS Events · talkHN cites it as the primary source for Amazon's Working Backwards method whenever product-definition approaches come up.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2023–2024HN draws on it for practical decision-making and problem-framing techniques that apply well beyond Clojure.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2016–2025T The Deming Institute · demoHN cites it as a classic illustration of dysfunctional management, gamed targets, and blaming workers for systemic outcomes.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2016–2024G Greylock · interviewCited as a first-hand source for how Google's leadership thought about hiring, organization and the Alphabet restructuring.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2023Linked in threads about YC culture and big tech burnout, as YC partners themselves acknowledging the trend.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2016–2022S Speakers Spotlight · talkRecommended as a short, illustrated take on empowering teams instead of giving orders.
- cited 3× 0 months 2021–2023S Sabbir Ahmed · talkHN mostly cites it in anti-Agile and anti-Scrum threads as a sharp critique, with one commenter noting the tenth man idea.
- cited 4× 0 months 2022–2025T Tyler McVicker · commentaryHN commenters cite it as a summary of former employees' experience that the flat structure produces informal hierarchy, cliques and stack ranking.
- cited 3× 0 months 2016Linked in threads on pay and compensation as a quick explanation of why talking about salary helps employees.
- cited 20× 0 months 2014–2025L Lauris Beinerts · comedy videoShared constantly as a painfully accurate depiction of absurd requirements, clueless management and estimation pressure.
- cited 5× 0 months 2022–2025I Investor Talk · interviewUsed as an anecdote in layoff and cost-cutting debates: the company supposedly never noticed what the fired staff had done.
- cited 4× 0 months 2019–2025P psfonseka · videoUsed as an analogy whenever commenters criticize unqualified people placed in charge of expert fields.
- cited 3× 0 months 2016–2023A Adam Staab · videoInvoked as shorthand for hiring and investing by gut feel and appearances instead of what actually predicts results.
- cited 3× 0 months 2019–2023S Saïd Business School, University of Oxford · lectureHN uses it as a reference for disruption theory when explaining why incumbents like VW or BlackBerry decline.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022–2023R Robert Kienzle · comedy videoLinked as a joke or reference whenever Robert's Rules or formal meeting procedure comes up.
Questions
What is the most recommended management, leadership & organizations video on Hacker News?
Try to Rule Fairly and You'll Be Overthrown by CGP Grey: HN treats it as the standard short summary of how power and political incentives work, applied to governments, companies and workplaces.
How is this management, leadership & organizations list ranked?
By HackerTube's score: the number of distinct months in which an HN comment recommended the video, plus half a point for every month with a strong recommendation. One viral thread counts less than steady recommendations over years.
Where do the videos come from?
From every Hacker News comment between 2007 and 2026 that linked a YouTube video, labeled by an AI model as a recommendation, a citation, a joke or a criticism. The list is published by HackerTube under ODC-By 1.0; this edition adds indexable pages and the comment context.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.