Ilkka Paananen is the co-founder and CEO of Supercell, the Finnish mobile games giant behind global hits like Clash of Clans, Hay Day, and Brawl Stars. He is widely admired for creating one of the most unique and successful corporate cultures in the world, built on a foundation of trust, independence, and a "least powerful CEO" philosophy.

His learnings offer a radical and inspiring blueprint for how to build a creative organization that is both highly successful and deeply human.

On Company Culture & Organization

  1. "My goal is to be the world's least powerful CEO." This is his most famous philosophy. It means his job is not to command, but to remove obstacles and empower the teams to make decisions. (Source: Recode Decode Podcast)
  2. "The best teams make the best games. Our number one job is to get the best people and create the best possible environment for them." This is the foundational principle of Supercell: culture is strategy. (Source: Supercell Official Website - Our Story)
  3. "We are a collection of 'cells'." The company is structured as a collection of small, independent teams (cells) that have complete ownership over their games. (Source: Slush 2018 Talk - YouTube)
  4. "We have zero bureaucracy." The goal is to eliminate layers of management and process, allowing teams to move quickly and creatively. (Source: GamesIndustry.biz)
  5. "Hire people who are better than you, and then trust them." This is the key to building a high-performing organization. Micromanagement is a sign of a hiring failure.
  6. "We want Supercell to be the best place in the world for creative people to work." This is the ultimate mission that drives all cultural decisions at the company.
  7. "The role of a leader is to create a safe environment." Psychological safety—where people feel safe to take risks and fail—is the most critical ingredient for creativity.
  8. "We have no 'greenlight' meetings." Teams at Supercell decide for themselves whether to continue or kill a game project. There is no executive committee making these decisions. (Source: Slush 2018 Talk - YouTube)
  9. "In a creative business, the last thing you want is for people to be afraid of taking risks." Fear leads to conservative, incremental ideas.
  10. "Our dream company is one where decisions are made by the people who are closest to the players."

On Game Development & Failure

  1. "We celebrate failure. We celebrate the learnings from that failure." When a team kills a game, they pop champagne to celebrate the learning and the courage it took to stop a project that wasn't working. (Source: Wired - The $7.8B company that celebrates failure)
  2. "The quality bar is insanely high. We've killed 10 games for every one we've released." The goal is not just to launch games, but to launch games that will be played for years and become part of gaming history. (Source: A frequently cited statistic in his talks)
  3. "The teams themselves have the power to kill their own game." This gives them true ownership and responsibility for quality. No one is forced to work on a game they don't believe in. (Source: GDC 2013 Talk - YouTube)
  4. "We’re not in a rush. We’d rather get it right." Supercell is known for its patience, often spending years developing a game before it is released globally.
  5. "Great games are not made by process. They are made by great people." You can't have a formula or a checklist for creating a hit game.
  6. "The biggest risk is not taking any risks." If you don't have failures, it's a sign that you are not being ambitious enough.
  7. "The perfect game is a moving target." Player expectations are always rising, so you must constantly innovate and improve.
  8. "A game is a service, not a product." The launch of a game is just the beginning. The real work is in operating it and continuously delivering new experiences for the community.
  9. "Listen to your gut. Data is important, but the final decision on whether a game is fun often comes down to the intuition of the team."
  10. "A small team can have a huge impact." Clash of Clans was built by a team of just five people.

On Leadership & Management

  1. "My job is to get the vision and the values right, hire the best people, secure the resources, and then get out of the way." This is his simple, four-step job description.
  2. "Trust is the foundation of everything we do." The entire Supercell model of independent teams would fall apart without a culture of high trust. (Source: Medium - Trust is the New Gold)
  3. "I write an email to the entire company every Friday." This is a key ritual for maintaining transparency and alignment, sharing good news, bad news, and key learnings. (Source: A known Supercell practice)
  4. "As a leader, you should be a servant, not a master." Your job is to serve the teams and help them be successful.
  5. "The best leaders are coaches, not commanders." They ask questions, provide guidance, and develop their people, but they don't give orders.
  6. "Transparency is the best way to build trust." Share as much information as you can with the entire company.
  7. "It's amazing what people can do when you just trust them."
  8. "You can't copy our culture. It has to be authentic to who you are." He warns other leaders against trying to simply "copy and paste" the Supercell model.
  9. "I try to spend most of my time with the game teams." This is how he stays connected to the core of the business and understands the challenges they are facing.
  10. "The moment a leader starts to think they are the smartest person in the room, the company is in trouble."

On Entrepreneurship & Vision

  1. "It’s always about the long term." He has consistently turned down short-term revenue opportunities that would compromise the long-term health of the games or the company culture.
  2. "Our dream is to create a company that will last for hundreds of years." This long-term thinking influences every decision, from hiring to game development. (Source: PocketGamer.biz)
  3. "We have one simple goal: make the best games." This clarity of purpose prevents the company from getting distracted.
  4. "Finland is the best place in the world to make games." He is a huge advocate for the Finnish gaming ecosystem and has worked to create a supportive environment for the next generation of developers. (Source: GamesIndustry.biz)
  5. "The best moments of my life have been the 'oh shit' moments." The moments of greatest fear and uncertainty are often the ones that lead to the greatest breakthroughs.
  6. "It's a marathon, not a sprint." Building an enduring company takes time and patience.
  7. "You don't need to be in Silicon Valley to build a global company." Supercell is one of the best examples of a global tech giant born outside of the traditional tech hubs.
  8. "The acquisition by Tencent was about securing Supercell's independence for the long term." The deal was structured to allow the company to continue operating with complete autonomy. (Source: Recode Decode Podcast)
  9. "We pay our taxes in Finland, and we are proud of it." He is a strong believer in corporate social responsibility and contributing to the society that has enabled their success. (Source: A widely reported fact about Supercell's corporate citizenship)
  10. "The definition of success for us is: 'Can we create something that becomes a part of the history of games?'"

On the Future of Gaming

  1. "The next big thing in gaming will be a new genre that we can't even imagine today."
  2. "Mobile is the ultimate gaming platform because it has the biggest reach." It connects billions of people around the world.
  3. "Community is the new IP." The most enduring games are those that build strong, vibrant communities around them.
  4. "The future of gaming is global." Great games can come from anywhere and be enjoyed by anyone.
  5. "We are still in the very early days of what's possible on mobile." As devices become more powerful, the depth and quality of mobile games will continue to grow.
  6. "Gaming is becoming the number one form of entertainment in the world." It is more engaging, social, and interactive than any other medium.
  7. "We are always looking for the 'next big shift'." Whether it's a new platform, a new technology, or a new business model, you have to be ready to adapt.
  8. "The lines between different platforms are blurring." In the future, you will be able to play the same game seamlessly across your phone, your console, and your PC.
  9. "User-generated content (UGC) will play an increasingly important role in gaming." Empowering players to create their own content and experiences is the key to longevity.
  10. "The most important thing is to stay focused on making great games. Everything else is secondary."