Working as the Executive Assistant to the CEO of a unicorn startup is like being the backbone of a living, breathing organism — one that never sleeps. You’re not just a calendar manager or a gatekeeper; you’re the silent force keeping chaos in check while the world sees only success headlines and billion-dollar valuations.
My day begins long before the CEO’s does. The first hour is pure triage — sorting through hundreds of messages, deciphering what needs immediate attention, and predicting what fires might break out by noon. I often joke that I have to read between emails as much as I read the emails themselves. Every “Let’s discuss later” can mean anything from “prepare a new investor summary” to “cancel tomorrow’s offsite.”
There’s a misconception that being an EA is all about scheduling. In reality, it’s strategy in disguise. You’re expected to understand business goals, know which partnerships matter, sense team dynamics, and manage egos without anyone noticing. You become a quiet strategist, translating vision into action and chaos into structure.
The role demands emotional intelligence as much as operational skill. CEOs of unicorns live under constant pressure — investor expectations, growth targets, and media narratives. My job often extends into being a confidant, a listener, and sometimes the person who tells them what they don’t want to hear. It’s a strange kind of intimacy built on trust and urgency.
There are moments when the work feels overwhelming — like coordinating a 24-hour turnaround on a global investor meet or handling sensitive information that could shift market perception. But then there are the moments of pride: watching the CEO close a major funding round or seeing the team celebrate a new milestone, knowing that somewhere behind the scenes, you helped make it happen.
Being an EA in a unicorn isn’t a job — it’s a lifestyle. It’s the art of staying calm when everything around you moves at hyper-growth speed. You don’t chase the spotlight, but you help direct it. And at the end of the day, while others see a visionary leader at the top, you know the story behind every bold decision, late-night crisis, and impossible win — because you lived it, one calendar block at a time.