Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has built a distinctive leadership style centered on long-form written debates in Slack, where he regularly shares detailed essays to guide strategy and spark company-wide discussions. According to Sholto Douglas, a member of the technical staff at Anthropic, these essays are a core part of the company’s culture, offering a deep, reflective way to explore complex issues. Douglas described how Amodei’s posts often lay out nuanced arguments, weighing pros and cons, ethical considerations, and long-term implications, inviting team members to respond with their own in-depth counterpoints. The result is a growing archive of written dialogue that not only shapes current decisions but also documents the company’s evolution over time. This approach, Douglas said, gives employees a shared understanding of how the CEO thinks, creating a unified sense of direction across the organization. It also serves as a historical record — a potential future resource for understanding the development of artificial general intelligence. The method stands in contrast to the fast-paced, often chaotic meeting culture common in Silicon Valley, offering a slower, more deliberate alternative. Leadership experts have mixed views on the practice. André Spicer, a professor of organizational behavior, acknowledged the benefits of thoughtful, written communication, noting it encourages careful reflection and reduces impulsive decisions. However, he warned it could lead to “analysis paralysis,” where teams get stuck in endless debate without taking action. He also cautioned that such a style might overlook practical constraints and real-world implementation challenges. Cary Cooper, a professor of organizational psychology, raised concerns about the potential for emotional distance. He noted that written communication, while less confrontational, can come across as an “avoidance approach” rather than genuine dialogue. He stressed the importance of in-person interactions, such as town halls and live discussions, to maintain connection and leadership presence. Grace Lordan, an associate professor at the London School of Economics, praised the method for promoting intellectual rigor, transparency, and accountability. She highlighted the value of having a clear, traceable record of decisions. Still, she cautioned that writing demands more time and may disadvantage team members who think and communicate more effectively in spoken form. The ideal, she suggested, lies in combining written preparation with live, focused meetings to test ideas and reach decisions efficiently, followed by concise summaries to ensure alignment. While Anthropic has not commented directly on the practice, the company’s reliance on written debate reflects a broader shift in how some tech leaders are rethinking communication in high-stakes, fast-moving environments. Whether this approach fosters clarity and cohesion or slows progress remains to be seen.