"For example, Airtable said in June that "instead of just adding more A.I. capabilities to our existing platform, we treated this as a refounding moment for the company. The startup's co-founder and CEO Howie Liu told the NYT that this is not a pivot because it's not about changing direction after getting something wrong. Liu said the company considered calling it a relaunch or transformation, but ultimately chose "the language of founding because the stakes feel the same.""
"Similarly, Handshake's chief marketing officer Katherine Kelly said the company is trying to bring startup culture "back into an existing business." That can also mean harder work - Kelly said handshake told employees they have to be back in the office five days a week, "operating with a pace and number of hours that is meaningful and will help us hit goals.""
Several startups are reframing major strategic shifts as "refoundings" tied to new business models and AI initiatives. Airtable characterized adding AI capabilities as a refounding moment, with co-founder Howie Liu rejecting the label "pivot" and choosing the "language of founding" to reflect the stakes. Handshake aims to restore startup culture within an existing business, requiring employees to return to the office five days a week and increase pace and hours to meet goals. Opendoor and other companies have used the refounding framing to signal foundational change rather than incremental updates.
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