Looks Like Work

Tech Cycles, Masculine BS, Career Choices (with Hannit Cohen)

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 In this candid conversation between old friends and former co-founders, Hannit Cohen—VP R&D at Easy and Chedva's past CTO at Emerj—shares her journey through tech's boom-bust cycles from the late '90s and ever since. From starting as a programmer in the Israeli army to becoming one of the few female CTOs in tech, Hannit discusses the strategic choices that shaped her career, including the difficult decision to step back from deep tech to raise her three children. They explore what it truly means to build diverse teams (Hannit's current team is 50% women), the importance of creating psychologically safe work environments, and why asking "What do you want to be when you grow up?" never gets old. The conversation touches on the harsh realities of raising money as female co-founders, the myth of work-life balance, and why the best managers plan for their employees' careers beyond the current company.

Key Topics:

  • Navigating tech's cyclical nature through multiple boom-bust cycles
  • Strategic career planning: From programmer to CTO by 35
  • The difficult choice between high-level tech roles and family time
  • Building truly diverse teams
  • The evolution (or lack thereof) of workplace culture for women in tech
  • Why "unlimited vacation days" is the greatest scam in tech
  • The challenges of being self-employed when you love coding but hate business
  • Raising money as female co-founders doing "soft" social good work
  • Creating psychological safety and shutting down inappropriate workplace behavior
  • Mentoring as the most enjoyable part of leadership

    • Notable Quotes:

    • "You don't have to have a wonderful idea to succeed. You need to have a decent idea... What matters more than that is the execution on all bases."
    • "At the time, programming was a world of the youngs... You knew for sure that your only way to have a career in this world will be to become an executive."
    • "The higher you get, the percentage [of women] goes down a lot."
    • "You don't have to live with this masculine bullshit around you."
    • "When I look at my job, I think that's a very crucial part of it, to look at my people and tell, okay, they're working here now, but it's only a step."

      • Hannit's Powerful Question: "What do you want to do when you grow up?" (Asked to herself and her team members at every stage of their careers)

      Resources Mentioned:

      • Hannit Cohen on LinkedIn
      • Emerj - The startup Chedva and Hannit co-founded
      • The Curiosity Lab - Strategy sessions for leaders by Chedva
      • Chedva's newsletter - Weekly musings and questions
        • ...more
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        Looks Like WorkBy Chedva Ludmir