What’s harder for modern companies—growing fast or not losing themselves in the process? Nikolay Mironenko, an engineer who helped Wise grow from 11 to 2,500 employees and then built a technical team from scratch at Moss, knows the answer. In this article, he shares how to scale a business without drowning in chaos, bureaucracy, and a loss of focus.
Hypergrowth—A double-edged sword
Hypergrowth is that moment when a business expands so rapidly that every structure, process, and person inside it must constantly adapt. It’s like jumping onto a high-speed train that’s gaining momentum without making stops—thrilling, dangerous, and leaving no room for error.
It may sound like every startup’s dream, but in reality, this pace can become a serious test. Systems fail, teams burn out, and company culture risks crumbling under the pressure of constant change.
I’ve lived through this twice. First at Wise, where I was the fourth engineer in a team of 11 that eventually grew to 2,500 employees worldwide (as of 2019 when I left; today, Wise has over 6,000 people in 18 key locations globally). Then at Moss, where I built the engineering department from scratch and helped turn an idea into a financial platform that now serves thousands of companies.
Hypergrowth isn’t just fast scaling. It’s a stress test for the business, forcing a re-evaluation of everything—from processes to people management. It exposes weaknesses, demands tough decisions, and challenges company culture. The key question isn’t how fast you grow, but whether you can sustain the pace without losing your identity.
How to scale without losing your soul
In the early days of Wise, company culture was driven by a singular mission: to eliminate hidden bank fees. Everyone who joined felt they were part of a battle against the outdated financial system. This mission united us, set the tempo, and shaped a no-nonsense, action-oriented approach.
But as you start hiring hundreds of people, that focus inevitably begins to blur. New hires bring diverse perspectives (which is great), but also different priorities and work habits (which can be risky). One day, you realize your nimble, fast, and cool startup has morphed into a sluggish bureaucratic machine.
At Wise, we avoided that fate by staying relentlessly focused on the customer. From engineers to marketers, everyone needed to understand the product, use it, and suggest ways to improve it. We preserved small, autonomous teams with clear ownership, enabling innovation without management bottlenecks.
When building Moss, I knew we had to do the same. We grew from a handful of engineers to a structured tech department without losing our startup spirit. Each engineer didn’t just write code—they solved real problems that impacted thousands of companies. This is the only way to maintain speed and flexibility during scaling—and it still works at Moss today.
Fast hiring and its hidden traps
The biggest growth killer? Poor hiring. In hypergrowth mode, the pressure to scale quickly often leads to hasty decisions on new team members. At Wise, we realized how crucial it was not just to grow the team fast, but to find people who fully embraced our culture of ownership and initiative. One bad hire—especially in a leadership role—can shift team dynamics and slow progress for months.
We quickly understood that a perfect resume doesn’t guarantee the right fit. So our strategy evolved: we started looking not just for skilled professionals, but for people who could think as fast as the company grew.
At Moss, I took those lessons to heart. We focused on people who thrived in uncertainty, adapted quickly, and were willing to take responsibility. Technical skills were important, but mindset and adaptability determined long-term success. On top of that, we made an early effort to establish solid engineering processes so growth wouldn’t come at the expense of quality.
Leadership and hypergrowth: Managing the chaos
A team of 10 works like a tight-knit family. A team of 100 feels like a small village. But a company of 1,000? That’s a real city, complete with rules, politics, bureaucracy, and structural challenges.
At Wise, leadership evolved in real-time. Many started as individual contributors and were leading teams just months later. But most startups don’t invest in leadership early on, assuming people will “figure it out.” That’s a mistake.
I saw talented developers struggle when suddenly expected not just to code, but to lead people. Managing a team requires a completely different skillset—and for technical founders, it’s often far from intuitive. At Wise, we quickly recognized this and began growing leadership from within.
At Moss, I applied this experience. We deliberately invested in leadership development, so our top engineers could become not only great technical experts but also effective managers. This allowed the company to grow without compromising leadership quality or team culture.
The hidden dangers of hypergrowth
Hypergrowth is exciting, but it’s also dangerous. Alongside new opportunities, it brings risks that can destroy a company from within. Here are the major threats to watch out for:
- Process overload: The more people you have, the more rules and procedures emerge. If left unchecked, bureaucracy begins to choke decision-making speed.
- Culture dilution: Every new hire either strengthens or weakens your culture. There is no neutral impact.
- Decision-making paralysis: As the company scales, approval mechanisms become more complex. This can shift you from fast action to endless coordination.
- Technical debt: Fast growth often means fast releases, prioritizing speed over clean code. It helps ship features now, but creates a backlog that slows development later. If these compromises accumulate, they hinder scalability.
At Moss, we tackled these risks from day one. We built a flexible and scalable tech infrastructure to prevent technical debt accumulation.
We also embraced a “tribe” model—small, autonomous teams that preserved decision-making agility even as we scaled. The goal wasn’t just fast growth, but sustainable growth that could withstand long-term challenges.
From Wise to Moss: How experience shapes strategy
The challenges I faced at Wise directly influenced how I built Moss. At Wise, I worked on launching a card program in the US: integrating with banking systems, ensuring regulatory compliance, and creating a seamless customer experience. This complex work with large-scale financial products was the perfect training ground for Moss, where we integrated with leading ERP systems like SAP, Oracle, and Xero.
But even more important was understanding what happens when a company grows without a strong cultural foundation. At Moss, we set out not just to build a financial platform, but also a culture of ownership, flexibility, and speed. This helped us avoid the common traps that companies fall into during rapid growth phases.
Final thoughts: The hypergrowth paradox
Hypergrowth is both an opportunity and a test. It reveals every weak link, sharpens management challenges, and forces companies to evolve at an unnatural pace. But the real challenge isn’t scaling at any cost—it’s scaling without losing flexibility, getting bogged down in bureaucracy, or letting processes stifle speed and initiative.
At Wise, I learned to thrive in hypergrowth at a company that was rewriting the rules of finance. At Moss, I took those lessons and built a company that’s scaling without losing its identity. The formula isn’t that complicated: hire thoughtfully, build flexible systems, invest in leadership, and never forget the mission that started it all.
Because in the end, growth alone isn’t enough. What matters is not losing yourself along the way.
Nikolay Mironenko is a co-founder of Moss and a former engineer at Wise, where he worked on launching the US card program, integrating banking systems, and building scalable financial infrastructure. At Moss, he applied this expertise to create a financial platform that now serves thousands of companies. His experience combines technical leadership, team building, and scaling management in fast-growing environments.
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