Founder Fatigue: Are We Boring the Hell Out of Consumers?

Founder Fatigue: Are We Boring the Hell Out of Consumers?

By [Your Name], Digital Behaviour Expert & Creator Economy Analyst

You’ve heard it a thousand times: “Founder-led brands are the future.” The authenticity, the storytelling, the gritty underdog triumph arc—this is what connects, this is what sells, right?

But let’s be honest—it’s starting to feel like bullshit.

We are in the middle of what I call the “Slop Era”—a content wasteland where brands vomit out the same soft-focus stories, LinkedIn humblebrags, and emotionally hollow #buildinpublic narratives that once felt disruptive, but now reek of sameness. It’s performative. It’s predictable. It’s tired.

And I say this as someone who has championed the founder-first playbook for years. I’ve sat in those strategy sessions. I’ve advised brands to double down on the human story. I still believe in it—when it’s done right. But lately? It’s lost its edge.

The Cult of the Founder is Crumbling

Let’s get something straight: building a business in 2025 is dark. It’s anxiety, payroll stress, supply chain breakdowns, looming AI displacement, and investor pressure that doesn’t let up. It’s not morning journaling and $80 t-shirts made of “purpose.” But you wouldn’t know that if you scrolled through most founders’ feeds.

Instead, we get this:

“Just closed our biggest quarter ever! Couldn’t have done it without my incredible team 💪 #grateful #leadership”

Cool story. But consumers are not idiots. They know this is PR cosplay. They sense the disconnect between the glossy narrative and the real, gnarly underbelly of entrepreneurship.

According to Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer, consumer trust in “business leaders” is at an all-time low—with only 47% of people believing CEOs are a reliable source of information about societal issues. (Edelman Trust Barometer, 2024). People are craving truth, not tropes. And the current founder discourse? It’s hollow.

LinkedIn Is a Narcissist's Playground Now

Let’s talk about LinkedIn—the platform that was once about professional networking, but is now one big self-congratulatory founder therapy session.

Somewhere along the way, the point was lost. Founders have become influencers, chasing engagement instead of building real brand equity. They post about their leadership journey more than the actual product. They’re branding themselves instead of their business.

When the founder becomes the brand, the brand becomes a vanity project.

And that’s dangerous. Consumers came for values, purpose, and product. Not for a TED Talk on hustle culture thinly veiled as a diary entry.

Meanwhile, Anonymous Brands Are Winning by Saying Less

Here’s the kicker. While everyone else is shouting into the founder void, brands like Sense, or meme collectives like @sockshousemeeting and @exit_sign_gf are thriving.

Why? Because they don’t need to tell you who they are to tell you what they mean.

They’ve embraced anonymity as luxury. It’s a flex to not have to over-explain. There’s power in letting tone of voice, taste, and timing carry the message. No Oscar-worthy backstory. No laboured founder monologue. Just: Here’s something funny. Here’s something true. You in?

It’s the digital equivalent of a fleeting high five with a stranger. A nod. A smirk. A mutual laugh. And that’s what people are craving. Not connection in the traditional sense—but resonance. Something fleeting, but emotionally efficient. That’s what sticks.

It’s a subtle rejection of the hyper-earnest founder format. And it feels like a breath of fresh air.

We’ve Mistaken “Relatable” for “Real”

We’ve mastered the aesthetics of authenticity—low-fi content, confessional captions, behind-the-scenes “struggles” that are carefully curated and choreographed. But where’s the actual vulnerability? Where’s the honesty about the burnout, the loneliness, the existential dread of scaling something that feels like it might own you instead of the other way around?

True brand intimacy—the kind that earns loyalty—comes from showing the raw edges. But most of us are too scared to bleed on camera. So we hide behind founder-as-brand archetypes that feel increasingly synthetic.

So What Now? Burn It All Down? Not Quite.

Don’t get me wrong: I still believe in founder-led brands. When they’re rooted in truth, when they lift the curtain instead of just polishing the stage—they can be magic.

But right now? We need a reset.

It’s time to:

Reclaim the brand. Let your product, community, and customer experience do more of the talking. Not every post needs your face on it.

Be useful, not just visible. Share insights that actually help people—not just how well you’re doing.

Tell the real story. Not the polished one. The gritty, human, contradictory, unresolved version. The one where you’re scared you might be fucking it all up—that’s the stuff that resonates.

Shut up sometimes. Not every founder needs to be a “thought leader.” Let the silence build some intrigue.

Learn from the anonymous era. Make your tone of voice stronger than your personal brand. Let your content be the message, not a mirror.

Consumers Are Evolving. Brands Need To Catch Up.

We’ve reached peak founder content. Now what people want is depth, clarity, and the permission to not care so much.

They don’t want another self-mythologising tale. They want a joke that lands, a feeling that lingers, a moment that feels real—even if it's gone in 15 seconds.

So ask yourself: are you building a brand… or just building a stage?

Because in the Slop Era, only the raw will survive.

Let me know if you'd like this version formatted for LinkedIn carousel, Substack layout, or published as an opinion piece on Medium. You’re sitting on a sharp cultural insight here—one that needs to be out in the wild.