CREATOR SPOTLIGHT

The Technology Thought Leader

Tech leader Camille Fournier writes about management in a way that’s accessible and useful to any reader

Every month here at Creators Hub, we’re featuring a creator we admire on the platform. This month: Camille Fournier. Camille has a background in computer science, and was the CTO at Rent The Runway, as well as the vice president of technology at Goldman Sachs. She currently is managing director at a hedge fund, and is the author of the book The Manager’s Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change.

When she’s not giving keynotes or rewriting “Frog and Toad”, Camille writes on Medium about management, engineering, decision-making, and more. Something that’s really special about her writing is the way she offers insight into management practices — and, really, the philosophy of work — in ways that are equally interesting and relevant no matter what your actual job is. If you’re a manager, they offer thoughtful concepts and helpful strategies. If you’re an individual contributor, her work helps to demystify what’s going on around you — and she never talks down to any of her readers.

We asked Camille a few questions via email.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

If someone only read one of your Medium posts, which should it be and why?

Probably “Other People’s Problems,” which I think has useful advice for almost anyone.

How has writing on Medium helped you develop your voice as a writer?

I find that the clean interface forces me to structure my writing in a simple way, and helps draw me to a structure of highlights/subheadings and supporting text for these highlights instead of just one long block of text. It hasn’t changed my voice, but I do think that it encourages me to think about how to simplify things for my audience and helps me write pieces that are easy for people to digest.

What are the last three profiles you’ve followed on Medium?

I followed Ian Nowland, a former colleague of mine who doesn’t write that often but always has incredible insights.

I also followed Marianne Bellotti, who has shared some very interesting thoughts on working in the tech industry.

I followed Emma Lindsay, just because.

Is there a specific feature of Medium you really enjoy?

I really like the editor for focusing me on my writing, it is where I start all of my short-form public writing. I also like the highlight feature, which helps you see what others find most interesting in the post.

What’s the best piece of writing and/or creativity advice you’ve ever gotten?

Read your piece out loud once before you publish it. That helps you catch mistakes but also helps you see whether the words really flow together well, and is a good check for the logical flow of the piece.

More creators to follow:

Management strategist Roger Martin
Humor writer Kyrie Gray
Personal development specialist Amardeep Parmar
Community creator Allison Gaines
Blogger-to-book author Elisabeth Ovesen

Tell us in the responses who you think we should be following!