Hey folks - Firas here.
Most startup stories are told through outcomes. Funding rounds. Product launches. Hypergrowth. Acquisitions. The headlines focus on the moments when things work. What we hear far less about are the moments when things almost don’t.
I sat down with Howard Ting, former CEO of Cyberhaven and current CEO of Opal Security. Our conversation went somewhere I wasn’t expecting. It wasn’t really about cybersecurity. It wasn’t about fundraising. It wasn’t even about product-market fit.
It was about responsibility.
Howard took over Cyberhaven in 2020, in the middle of COVID. Like many startup CEOs, he expected difficult decisions, long hours, and the pressure that comes with scaling a company. What he didn’t expect was that two years later Russia would invade Ukraine, where roughly 80% of his engineering organization was based. Two months before the invasion, Howard had been in Kyiv visiting employees, having dinner with team members and meeting their families. Then overnight, everything changed.
Engineers were being drafted into military service. Families were being separated across borders. Employees were trying to escape the country. The company suddenly faced an existential question: what happens when the majority of your product development team is sitting in the middle of a war zone?
What struck me wasn’t the operational challenge. It was Howard’s response.
His first principle was simple: family, country, company.
Not company first. Not productivity first. People first.
While many leaders would immediately focus on preserving business continuity, Howard focused on helping employees and their families survive an impossible situation. The company worked through relocation options. They explored legal pathways to help employees leave the country. They continued supporting people financially. They looked after families. Only after addressing the human problem did they turn their attention to the business problem.
Listening to Howard reminded me that leadership often looks very different from how Silicon Valley portrays it. We love talking about vision, strategy, and execution. But in reality, leadership is usually tested during moments where there is no playbook. Moments where the right answer isn’t obvious. Moments where every decision carries consequences for real people.
As the conversation evolved, I asked Howard what he believes causes companies to fail. His answer surprised me because it was both simple and universally true.
People.
Not funding. Not competition. Not technology.
People.
He described three common failure modes. The first is hiring the wrong people for the stage of the business. The second is hiring people with the wrong motivations. Early-stage companies need missionaries, not mercenaries. They need people who believe deeply enough in the mission to endure uncertainty, setbacks, and constant change. The third failure mode is one that doesn’t get enough attention: failing to develop the people already inside the company.
This resonated with me because recruiting has taught me the same lesson repeatedly. The best companies aren’t built by endlessly hiring stars from elsewhere. They’re built by identifying potential early, creating opportunities, and helping people grow into larger roles. Great organizations compound talent internally.
But perhaps the most thought-provoking part of our conversation was when Howard described how his definition of ambition has changed.
Earlier in his career, he was what he calls “locally ambitious.” Like many of us, he focused on advancing himself, his team, and his company. Today, he thinks differently. He described himself as “globally ambitious.”
Instead of asking how he can win, he asks what impact his life’s work will leave behind.
That mindset is what ultimately brought him back to identity security, a problem he first worked on more than two decades ago. Despite enormous advances in technology, many of the core challenges remain unsolved. Rather than chase the next trend, he chose to return to unfinished business.
I think that’s a powerful lesson for founders.
The best opportunities aren’t always the newest ones. Sometimes they’re the problems you’ve understood deeply for years but finally feel compelled to solve.
The final part of our conversation centered on something many founders, executives, and ambitious professionals struggle with: the cost of building.
We often celebrate sacrifice in Silicon Valley. The late nights. The obsession. The relentless pursuit of excellence.
What we discuss less often is what that sacrifice means for the people around us.
Howard spoke candidly about the impact that building companies has had on his family. The missed dinners. The lost time. The moments that don’t come back. But he also offered a perspective that stayed with me.
Children don’t only learn from the time you spend with them.
They learn from what they watch you dedicate yourself to.
Howard’s parents owned a small Chinese restaurant near Berkeley. He rarely saw them because they worked constantly. Yet what they gave him wasn’t advice or instruction. It was an example. Through their actions, they taught resilience, perseverance, and grit. Those lessons shaped who he became.
It made me think differently about ambition.
There is always a cost to pursuing something meaningful. The challenge isn’t eliminating the sacrifice. The challenge is ensuring the sacrifice is attached to something worth pursuing.
When I reflect on this conversation, I don’t think the biggest lesson is about leadership or even entrepreneurship.
It’s about people.
Product-market fit matters. Strategy matters. Timing matters.
But businesses are ultimately collections of people working toward a shared mission. The strongest companies survive because people trust each other during difficult moments. Customers trust them. Employees trust them. Investors trust them.
And that trust is built long before the crisis arrives.
Until next time,
Firas Sozan
The PMF Playbook
Find me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/firassozan/
Personal website: https://firassozan.com/
Company website: https://www.harrisonclarke.com/
Venture capital fund: https://harrisonclarkeventures.com/
‘Inside the Silicon Mind’ podcast: https://insidethesiliconmind.com/