Eye of Sauron Positioning

Work adjacent to the CEO's top priority, not directly under it

Alex Hardiman
An inside look at how the New York Times builds product

Eye of Sauron Positioning

"There's the Eye of Sauron, which is the number one most important thing to the CEO at that time. My advice is often don't avoid that thing, usually, but work maybe to the side of that because you don't want to work on something that doesn't matter, that's like over in the shire land. You want to be something that matters but not maybe the most important thing." - Lenny Rachitsky

What It Is

The Eye of Sauron Positioning framework helps product managers and individual contributors strategically choose where to work within a company. The metaphor comes from Lord of the Rings: the Eye of Sauron represents the CEO's current top priority—the thing getting the most scrutiny, resources, and attention.

The framework suggests positioning yourself adjacent to (not directly under) the Eye—close enough to matter and have visibility, but not so central that you're under constant high-stakes pressure with little autonomy.

This is contrasted with Alex Hardiman's approach of deliberately seeking out the Eye—gravitating toward the most chaotic, highest-stakes problems. Both strategies can work, but they require different temperaments and carry different risk/reward profiles.

How It Works

Map your company's priorities:

  1. The Eye (center) - The #1 CEO priority. Maximum visibility, maximum scrutiny, maximum pressure. Examples: the new flagship product, the turnaround initiative, the crisis response.

  2. Adjacent to the Eye - Important but not #1. Still matters, still has resources, but less daily scrutiny. You can make decisions with more autonomy.

  3. The Shire (periphery) - Far from priorities. Lower visibility, lower pressure, but also lower impact and resources. Risk of being cut or ignored.

Choose your positioning based on:

  • Risk tolerance: The Eye has higher upside but also higher downside
  • Autonomy needs: Adjacent work has more room for experimentation
  • Career stage: Early career may benefit from Eye exposure; mid-career may want autonomy
  • Personality: Some PMs thrive in chaos (like Alex), others thrive with more control

How to Apply It

  1. Identify the Eye

    • What is your CEO currently most focused on?
    • What initiative has the most resources?
    • What would the CEO notice immediately if it failed?

  2. Map the adjacent opportunities

    • What projects are important but not #1?
    • Where are there problems worth solving with less scrutiny?
    • What serves the main priority indirectly?

  3. Assess your fit

    • Do you thrive under intense pressure and visibility?
    • Do you need autonomy to do your best work?
    • Are you building new skills or leveraging existing ones?

  4. Position deliberately

    • If you want maximum visibility: aim for the Eye
    • If you want impact with autonomy: work adjacent
    • Avoid the Shire unless you're deliberately playing defense

  5. Reposition as the Eye moves

    • The CEO's top priority changes
    • Track where attention is shifting
    • Move before your work becomes irrelevant

When to Use It

Work directly under the Eye when:

  • You're building your reputation and need visibility
  • You thrive under pressure and scrutiny
  • The initiative aligns with your strongest skills
  • You want a clear path to promotion/impact
  • You're like Alex Hardiman—attracted to chaos

Work adjacent to the Eye when:

  • You need autonomy to do your best work
  • You're learning and need room to fail
  • You want to ship without constant oversight
  • The Eye initiative doesn't match your skills
  • You want sustainable pace vs. crisis mode

Avoid the Shire because:

  • Resources dry up for "unimportant" work
  • Your impact doesn't get recognized
  • You risk being cut in prioritization exercises
  • It's hard to transfer to important work later

Source

  • Guest: Alex Hardiman (with framework from Lenny Rachitsky)
  • Episode: "An inside look at how the New York Times builds product"
  • Key Discussion: (00:12:43) - Lenny describes the Eye of Sauron metaphor; Alex responds that she's the opposite—actively seeking the Eye
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

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