Over the past few years, I have observed a particularly obvious trend: founders are becoming the most important influencers of the new era.

In the past, everyone thought that the most important things for founders were making products, managing teams, and raising funds.
But by 2026, more and more companies are beginning to realize that founders themselves are growth systems.
Because after the AI era, users are increasingly distrustful of advertising and are more willing to follow a real person long-term.
So now, many of the most successful founder-led growth strategies are not fundamentally about company marketing.
Instead, founders are continuously building their own audience influence.
Creating content, discussing industry topics, explaining products, and openly sharing their thoughts.
Over time, the object of user trust begins to shift from the brand to the founder.
This is especially important because product differences will become smaller and smaller in the future.
What truly creates a gap is who can more easily establish long-term trust.
Of course, being an influencer as a founder also has costs.
Consistent output can drain emotions, and personal branding being tightly linked to the company also brings risks.
But even so, I still believe that in the future, founders who do not build personal influence will find it increasingly difficult to grow large companies.
Because traffic can be bought.
But long-term trust cannot be bought.