&gt; Then you, as the Founder&#x2F;CEO, can be forced by your board in directions that you don&#x27;t want to go.<p>In my experience that happens very rarely. If the board votes at all, and especially if in a direction that the CEO doesn&#x27;t want to go, then it&#x27;s usually a vote to dismiss the CEO.<p>But the people you surround yourself with (and their incentives) do matter. &quot;Control&quot; is a lot more subtle and social than you might expect.