BizOps, Briefly
Once a quirky insider term for “that team that helps the CEO sleep at night,” Business Operations (BizOps) has become one of the most sought-after functions in modern org charts. Originally designed to bridge the chasm between strategy and execution, BizOps today is a cross-functional fixer, data-driven architect, and process whisperer rolled into one.
And it’s not just a tech thing anymore.
The Origin Story: Yahoo! to LinkedIn to the World
The roots of BizOps trace back to the early 2000s at Yahoo!, where a young Jeff Weiner (then in CorpDev) needed help with everything from M&A to P&L to strategy execution. Enter BizOps.
When Weiner became CEO at LinkedIn, he brought the concept with him, hiring Dan Yoo as his first BizOps leader. Yoo’s framing was sharp: BizOps parachutes into hairy problems, runs mission-critical meetings, and even more critically takes over execution when leadership falters.
From LinkedIn, BizOps ideas spread like wildfire, especially via Emilie Choi, who took the model from LinkedIn to Coinbase, and Matt Mochary, who evangelized it across his coaching portfolio of Silicon Valley CEOs. Soon, BizOps became a tech industry staple and the unofficial SWAT team of operational complexity.
Why BizOps Took Off
Here’s the core value prop: a flexible, analytical team that tackles thorny, cross-functional challenges with no clear owner.
Executives quickly realized this team could:
- Build OKR systems
- Lead cross-functional projects
- Fix performance gaps
- Serve as internal consultants
- Translate data into action
It was the right solution for an increasingly matrixed world. And in a data-driven economy where the speed of execution is survival, BizOps proved it could go from whiteboard to dashboard faster than traditional strategy teams ever could.
Beyond Silicon Valley: BizOps Goes Mainstream
While tech remains the spiritual home of BizOps, its influence is no longer confined to Palo Alto and pitch decks. Today, BizOps is taking root across industries:
Why now? Because every industry is grappling with complex coordination, and every executive wants data-backed answers yesterday.Â
BizOps in 2025: Ubiquitous, Small, and Mighty
Today, there are over 1,100 open BizOps roles on LinkedIn every week, and 89% of execs in recent surveys say the function improves company performance.
But don’t expect bloated departments. Most BizOps teams are lean, typically just 1% of company headcount. What they lack in numbers, they make up for in proximity to power: 54% report directly to the CEO, 36% to the COO/CSO.
Their work spans everything from process optimization and project management to internal consulting, analytics, and vendor implementation. And the required skill set is evolving fast: technical acumen matters, but soft skills like cross-functional communication and influence without authority are now mission-critical.
The Strategic Case for BizOps
At its core, BizOps is about turning ambiguity into execution.
It’s the team that shows up when there’s a problem no one owns. The group that translates lofty goals into tactical plans. The bridge between dashboards and decisions. And increasingly, it’s the team driving AI adoption and digital transformation from the inside out.
As one BizOps leader put it in our State of BizOps 2025 report:
“We own the problems no one else wants to touch—and we make the business run better.”
Final Word: The Swiss Army Knife of Modern Business
If CXOs are architects, BizOps are the general contractors, on the ground, coordinating the trades, spotting inefficiencies, and delivering the vision on time.
In a world obsessed with speed, data, and adaptability, BizOps isn’t just valuable, it’s vital. Whether embedded in sales, reporting to the CEO, or quietly fixing what’s broken, BizOps has become the central nervous system of high-performing companies.
And as more industries catch on, one thing’s clear: BizOps isn’t just here to stay. It’s just getting started.
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