Interview, Fireside Chat
Benjamin Todd on the history of 80,000 Hours (2023)
- The organization is currently seeking a new CEO to replace Howie Lample, who has moved to Open Philanthropy, with expressions of interest closing on December 10th and a probability of promoting an internal candidate that would create vacancies in senior roles like Director of Internal Systems, Website Director, or Director of Special Projects.
- Financial and operational plans for 2023 include a projected budget of $6 million, $3 million allocated to marketing, and an average staff of 27 primary employees plus six full-time equivalent contractors, with an annual growth rate of approximately 30% sustained over the last two years.
- Key performance expectations for 2023 include over 3 million unique website visitors, 750,000 click-throughs to high-impact jobs, 250,000 new newsletter subscribers, 300,000 hours of podcast listening, and more than 1,500 one-on-one conversations.
- Strategic plans involve restructuring the organization under a new CEO who will line manage five directors, shifting focus from a "magazine model" to a "hits-based" content strategy targeting search traffic, and eventually splitting the advising team into distinct advising and headhunting units.
- Historical reflections indicate that early decisions, such as the "earning to give" media strategy and a 2016 move to California, faced criticism for causing controversy, social isolation, and poor retention, though the latter was reversed within two years of relocating back to London.
- Future outlooks anticipate consolidating focus on coordinating the existing community to solve problems, potentially expanding into a "10x10" carbon reduction context, and maintaining a long-term goal of tripling the audience from 2020/2021 levels to support 3,000 to 5,000 one-on-one calls annually.
- Risks identified include the persistence of negative public perception regarding "earning to give," potential difficulties in hiring Americans while based in the Bay Area, and the challenge of balancing growth with the ability to afford living expenses for staff and leaders.
- Personnel expectations suggest a large research team covering all major causes and career paths may develop within the next couple of decades, while retention statistics aim to improve to over 90% through consistent management processes like weekly one-on-ones and feedback rounds.