05 July 2025

In the world of Leo Beebes, be Ken Miles

In every organization, there are two types of people: the Ken Miles and the Leo Beebes. Here's why I'd rather be a Ken Miles.

I was rewatching Ford vs. Ferrari the other day. The movie is a timeless classic. It captures something so real about how organizations work and can often come in the way of true innovation and excellence.

In every organization, there are two types of people: the Ken Miles and the Leo Beebes.

If you've watched the movie, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Ken Miles was the brilliant engineer and test driver who actually built things. He got his hands dirty, understood every bolt and gear, and made the impossible happen. He was the one in the garage at 2 AM solving real problems. This deep understanding of the machine is what helped Ford finally beat Ferrari at Le Mans.

Leo Beebe was the corporate executive who played politics, focused on image over substance, and rarely touched the actual product. He was great at presentations but couldn't tell you how anything actually worked.

While Leo Beebes have their place in organizations, I feel it's much easier for a Ken Miles to learn business than for a Leo Beebe to learn engineering and how things actually work. You can teach a brilliant engineer about profit margins, market strategy, and corporate communication in months.

But teaching someone who's spent years in boardrooms to understand complex systems, technical constraints, and how to actually build something? That takes years of hands-on experience that can't be learned from presentations.

Why I'd rather be Ken Miles

Ken Miles of the world get things done

1. Solve real problems with real solutions
2. Understand the product inside and out
3. Create value through actual work, not just meetings
4. Build things that matter

Leo Beebes of the world focus on image over results

1. Focus on corporate politics over product
2. Talk about strategy but never execute
3. Create slides, not solutions
4. Optimize for promotion, not production

Why we need more Ken Miles

Every breakthrough product, every innovation that changed the world, came from someone who was willing to get their hands dirty and actually build something.

Elon coding all night to build PayPal. Steve Jobs obsessing over every pixel of the iPhone. The Wright brothers building and testing their own engines. DHH building Ruby on Rails that powers thousands of web applications. Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia personally staying with Airbnb hosts to understand the experience. James Dyson building 5,126 prototypes before perfecting his revolutionary vacuum.

The Ken Miles of the world are the ones who:

1. Write the code that ships
2. Design the products people love
3. Solve the problems others just talk about
4. Turn ideas into reality

While Leo Beebes are busy managing up and playing corporate games, Ken Miles are busy changing the world.

Think about this when you find yourself climbing the corporate ladder. The makers almost always solve real problems and will always win in the long run. Corporate players come and go, but the people who actually build things create lasting impact.

Be Ken Miles.