Oyster Founder Tony Jamous: Fear-Based Leadership Is Quietly Sinking Companies

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Tony Jamous and what is Oyster?

Tony Jamous is the founder and Executive Chairman of Oyster, his second unicorn company. Born in Lebanon and now based in Cyprus, he previously founded an API software company in 2010 that connected banks and other businesses to global telecom networks, took it public, and saw it acquired. Oyster is a fully remote benefit corporation operating across 80+ countries with a mission to reverse brain drain and reduce wealth inequality by democratizing access to global job opportunities.

What is Jamous's three-part method for shifting from control to trust?

Jamous prescribes three practices leaders must learn. First, default to assuming best intent and let go of intrusive thoughts that employees aren't working hard enough. Second, practice non-reactivity so team members feel safe telling the truth about missed targets. Third, release the illusion of control, recognizing that leaders actually control a much smaller subset of things than they think, and that trying to control everything blocks creativity and opportunity.

Why does Jamous argue you can't hire for ethics?

Jamous contends that ethical behavior is a combination of who someone is plus the environment they operate in. Rather than screening candidates for ethics beyond obvious disqualifiers, leaders should build environments where compliance and service are non-negotiable norms. When there is no top-down pressure to race past regulations to hit financial targets, people behave ethically regardless of their past experiences.

How does Oyster define culture in a fully distributed company?

Jamous says company culture is stronger than local country culture in a global remote business, and that leaders must make that intentional so people feel included wherever they log in from. Culture becomes "how you get stuff done here"—whether teams trust each other, address hard topics, give uncomfortable feedback, follow ethical standards, and use shared practices like Slack, pre-reads, and async meetings.

What did leadership coach Pascal tell Jamous that changed his approach?

After Jamous sold his first company for a multi-billion-dollar exit, his longtime coach Pascal told him he could have achieved the same success, if not better, by taxing himself less and taxing those around him less. Jamous calls that statement the pivot point between his two companies and the beginning of what he now describes as "ego reduction" and a shift from personal success to being at service to the world.

What is happening at Oyster commercially right now?

Oyster is focused on delivering high-touch service at scale using AI, and recently launched a Global Payroll product that Jamous says is selling well beyond expectations by acting as middleware for companies with entities in multiple countries. The company also raised a roughly $300 million round led by Silver Lake in Q3 of the prior year, which Jamous notes made them the only player in their category to raise since interest rates rose.