Krithika Muthukumar, the very first marketer at OpenAI and Stripe, discusses what it takes to found and scale a marketing operation to build an enduring brand. A great early marketer doesn't blindly follow a playbook, is genuinely curious about the product, has a T-shaped skill set, and isn't distracted by vanity metrics. In their first month, they should create a “state of the funnel” report and shadow customer calls. Building a brand is often a bottoms-up motion rather than a top-down decision, so Muthukumar recommends developing a razor-sharp POV about what the product is for, learning how your audience talks and wants to be spoken to, and overinvesting in marketing craft.