{
  "id": 13189811,
  "title": "Skims cofounder Emma Grede: A good boss shouldn’t be your friend",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/skims-cofounder-emma-grede-a-good-boss-shouldnt-be-your-friend",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-09T19:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91621492/skims-co-founder-emma-grede-a-good-boss-shouldnt-be-your-friend"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Skims co-founder Emma Grede has expressed her belief that bosses should not act as friends to their employees. In an interview on the Boardroom podcast, Grede stated that her role is not to be friends with her workers, but to ensure the business thrives. She emphasized that empathy is still important, as long as the company's needs come first. Grede, along with her husband and Kim Kardashian, co-founded the $5 billion business. She believes that making tough decisions, such as layoffs, is sometimes necessary for the company's growth. Grede also stresses the importance of giving employees honest feedback, a concept she calls \"radical honesty.\" This can help employees understand their current position within the company. Despite being known for her tough leadership style, Grede believes that executives can be direct without being cruel.",
  "summary": "Skims cofounder Emma Grede thinks many business leaders are too chummy with their workers. “It is not my job to be your friend,” Grede said this week on the Boardroom podcast . “It is not my job to treat everybody as though this were a family.” “But that doesn’t mean that you miss empathy or that you treat people badly,” she added. Grede, who cofounded the $5 billion shapewear and clothing brand…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Business Insider",
        "title": "Skims cofounder Emma Grede says leaders can be empathetic without treating employees like family",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/skims-cofounder-emma-grede-says-leaders-can-be-empathetic-without",
        "published": "2026-10-08T05:09:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}