Why This Former Google Executive Believes Demotion Was The Key To Success. Find Out

Jennifer Dulski's journey began in 1999 when she took a marketing position at Yahoo, despite it offering only half the salary of her other job offers

With 25 years of leadership experience spanning Yahoo, Google, Facebook, and now her own venture, Jennifer Dulski's career exemplifies the value of bold, unconventional choices.

Source : Google

Jennifer Dulski, founder and CEO of Rising Team and a management lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business, has built a career defined by unconventional choices. Dulski's journey began in 1999 when she took a marketing position at Yahoo, despite it offering only half the salary of her other job offers. Fresh out of business school with an MBA, Dulski chose the opportunity because she was eager to work in technology and business.

"Most of my peers didn't understand that choice at the time, but I was excited about getting started in tech," Dulski told Business Insider in a recent interview.

Her career took another unexpected turn while at Yahoo when she sought to move into general management. "I took a demotion for that role," Dulski said, recounting how people questioned her decision. Despite the setback, the move proved instrumental to her success, eventually leading her to oversee six businesses at Yahoo within 18 months.

After nearly a decade at Yahoo, Dulski left her senior executive role to join the small start-up Dealmap — a choice again met with skepticism. That risk paid off when Google acquired Dealmap, after which Dulski stayed on with the tech giant for two years. She then transitioned to become the president and CEO of Change.org, before heading Facebook's groups and communities division.

Reflecting on her career, Dulski noted, "I've taken what I consider the unexpected or less obvious career option at many points along the road." In 2020, she launched her own company, Rising Team, which she describes as the culmination of her career.

With 25 years of leadership experience spanning Yahoo, Google, Facebook, and now her own venture, Dulski's career exemplifies the value of bold, unconventional choices.