I Demoted Myself Twice at Meta - And It Made Me Happier with Cynthia "Baz" Shrauner, Head of People - Electric Capital
“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies · 2025-05-29 · 59 min
Episode notes
In this episode of HR Heretics, Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich talk to Cynthia "Baz" Shrauner, former Meta HR executive and current Head of People at Electric Capital. Baz discusses her unconventional career move of voluntarily demoting herself twice to focus on work she genuinely enjoyed rather than traditional leadership roles. She candidly explores the tension between ego and fulfillment, Meta's hiring excesses during COVID and subsequent layoffs, and the complexities of DEI initiatives in corporate environments, offering rare insider perspective on Silicon Valley's operational realities. *Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: hrheretics@turpentine.co For coaching and advising inquire at HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine. Support HR Heretics Sponsors: Planful empowers teams just like yours to unlock the secrets of successful workforce planning. Use data-driven insights to develop accurate forecasts, close hiring gaps, and adjust talent acquisition plans collaboratively based on costs today and into the future. ️ Go to to see how you can transform your HR strategy. Metaview is the AI assistant for interviewing.