About Fish Food for Thought

Most leadership books describe what good leaders believe. This newsletter is about what they actually do.

I’m Mike Fisher, CEO of MyFitnessPal, former CTO of Etsy, and co-founder of AKF Partners, where I spent years advising companies on how to scale without breaking. I’ve spent 25+ years building and leading engineering and product organizations at PayPal, GE, Etsy, and others, and I’ve had a front-row seat to what separates leaders who build great teams from those who don’t.

What I’ve learned is that leadership isn’t a trait you’re born with. It’s a set of observable, learnable behaviors — things people consistently do in the moments that matter.

That’s what this newsletter is about.

What to expect:

Each week I share ideas on leadership, grounded in a real story, drawn from my experience or from leaders I’ve studied, and translated into something you can actually use. The topics I come back to most:

• Leadership behaviors in practice — what leaders do when the stakes are high, the team is struggling, or the path forward isn’t clear

• Building teams and culture — the habits, structures, and decisions that compound over time

• Scaling organizations — how people, process, and technology have to evolve together as a company grows

The newsletter started as internal notes I shared with my teams. It’s grown to over 7,000 subscribers who are building and leading product and engineering organizations.

I’m also the co-author of three books: The Art of Scalability, Scalability Rules, and The Power of Customer Misbehavior.

Background:

• CEO, MyFitnessPal (300M+ users globally)

• Former CTO, Etsy

• Co-Founder, AKF Partners

• West Point graduate, U.S. Army Aviation Officer

• PhD & MBA, Case Western Reserve University

• Fulbright Specialist

Thank you for being here. Your time and attention are truly appreciated.

Warm regards,

Mike Fisher