Stop Panic With Clear CEO Moves
Noah Kagan
When your team is quietly freaking out about layoffs, AI, and burnout, fluffy CEO pep talks don’t cut it. The Slack post from Noah Kagan to the entire AppSumo team is a masterclass in killing panic with clear, specific moves. Instead of pretending everything is fine, he puts the hard stuff on the table, takes the blame, then lists exactly what changes in the next 30 days. This is how you communicate when things feel wobbly.
How to steal this for your own CEO memo
First, list the three scariest things your team is whispering about. Second, admit where you’ve screwed up communication. Third, write one short section under each fear that starts with: “Here’s what changes in the next 30 days.” Finally, close like Noah does: tell people exactly what happens today, this week, and next week so panic has no empty space to grow in.
The psychology behind Noah’s message
- Opens with brutal reality (Toys R Us, Blockbuster) so people stop assuming the company is magically safe.
- Names the 3 real fears from the survey—job insecurity, no strategy, burnout—so nobody feels crazy or alone.
- Ties every fear to a concrete fix: better communication, public strategy updates, compensation unfrozen, leader burnout reviews.
- Draws a bright line on safety: parental or medical leave will never be a factor in role removal.
- Reframes AI from threat to tool by stating they gave everyone Claude to empower them, not replace them.
- Ends with ownership: he can’t guarantee no layoffs, but he can guarantee honesty, context, and next steps starting today and next week.
How AppSumo turns panic into a playbook
AppSumo publicly commits to sharing the company strategy with the whole team each quarter so no one is guessing where the business is headed.
AppSumo sets a monthly company-wide progress update where leadership reports on the top three priorities so employees can see focus instead of chaos.
AppSumo reviews and unfreezes compensation with a clear effective date, plus adds a "magic budget" to remind people they’re humans on a team, not just headcount.
