Designing Intentional Org Charts: Moving Beyond Spotify Squads

Nan Yu, Head of Product at Linear, argues that startups should design organizational structures with the same intentionality as their products, rejecting the generic 'Spotify Squads' model in favor of customized approaches. He introduces a framework based on shape, size, and scope of teams, using an 'heirloom tomato' metaphor to emphasize that differentiated products require differentiated team structures rather than symmetrical, standardized org charts.