Missionary vs Mercenary

A framework for evaluating founder and team motivation, popularized by Jeff Bezos (who attributed it to John Doerr). Missionaries are driven by a higher calling — they genuinely believe in the mission and serve customers from the core. Mercenaries are primarily motivated by money and tend toward quicker exits over long-term value building. Bezos used the distinction to describe Audible’s founder Don Katz, and it became a key lens in evaluating founders. Referenced in In 2006 I Was Meeting… (tweet).

Where this appears

• In 2006 I Was Meeting… (tweet)