Oura CEO says he will 'lurk' in Slack channels, because it keeps him visible

• Oura CEO Tom Hale said he sometimes observes employees in Slack.
• When he sees "great work," he comments directly on it, he says.
• Hale said lurking in employee Slack rooms has helped create a culture where ideas flow freely.

Leadership styles vary widely from CEO to CEO. Some are highly visible and communicative, earning trust through memos, town halls, and motivational messaging, while others take a quieter approach, building credibility through observation.

Tom Hale, CEO of Oura, said he leans toward a quieter leadership style, especially in times when he can't connect with employees in person.

He said he often lurks in employee Slack channels, for instance, without actively participating.

"So, I can't drop by your office, but you know what I can do, I can kind of lurk in your Slack chat, and if I see some really great work, I'm going to comment directly right on that," he said on a recent episode of Sequoia Capital's podcast.

He suggested it could be a lesson for executives, too. Paying attention to work across all levels of the company and occasionally chiming in— whether to say "that's a really good idea" or "have you considered this"— helped create a culture where ideas can move more freely, he said.

Communication is a two-way street, and Hale said employees would sometimes even challenge him. "Creating a non-hierarchical culture that's not bound by time, or geography, or role is really powerful," he added.

Oura, the maker of the eponymous health-tracking ring, launched in 2013 and has since become a subtle Silicon Valley fashion statement. The company now employs over 900 people. In October, it reached an $11 billion valuation, after raising $900 million in Series E funding.

Hale stepped into the role of CEO in 2022, bringing with him more than two decades of experience in the tech industry. He began his career at graphics and software company Macromedia, and stayed on after Adobe acquired it in 2005. He later held roles at Second Life maker Linden Lab, HomeAway, and Momentive-AI, the parent company of SurveyMonkey, before joining Oura.

Oura did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.