Episode 88: Tony Jamous - Founder & CEO of Oyster - From Burnout to Remote-First Unicorn

EU-Startups Podcast

In this episode, we catch up with Tony Jamous. Tony is the CEO and Co-Founder of Oyster, a unicorn and hyper-growth company that empowers companies to hire, pay, and care for team members globally. He believes in providing opportunities for everyone anywhere. Over the last decade, Tony has built and scaled Oyster to become a global employment platform valued at over $1 billion. He raised $150 M in Series C funding (total raised $230m), grew the team to over 600 + people across 60 + countries, and achieved B corp status. Tony is passionate about the future of work and the evolution it brings to create better lives worldwide. He helped over 4000 people get certified on Remote Ready and built Oyster in public to show how they work remotely. Tony shares his personal journey from burnout to founding a mission-driven company. He emphasizes the importance of sustainable leadership and practicing empathy in the workplace.He discusses the challenges and benefits of remote work, particularly in supporting and managing a fully remote team. He also highlights the impact of Oyster's initiative to empower emerging economies and reduce inequality. Tony shares insights on building in public and staying true to the company's mission amidst rapid growth. He concludes by discussing his ideal leadership retreat, focusing on connection, strategy, and expanding consciousness. Takeaways 1.Practice sustainable leadership by prioritizing your own well-being and creating space for recovery. 2.Remote work done well requires a commitment to flexibility, freedom, and a sense of mastery for employees. 3.Encourage a culture where saying no to the CEO is encouraged to foster open communication and growth. 4.Building in public can attract top talent and inspire other companies to adopt mission-driven practices. 5.Empower emerging economies by making global hiring as easy as local hiring, reducing brain drain and reversing inequality. This episode of EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://vanta.com/eustartups