# Tyler King

> Tyler King is the St. Louis-based co-founder and CEO of Less Annoying CRM, the self-funded software company he started with his brother Bracken in 2009. A programmer turned operator, he writes about founder pay, employee compensation, customer service, and building a company for the long term, and co-hosts Startup to Last with Rick Lindquist.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Less Annoying CRM
- **Organizations:** Less Annoying CRM, Less Annoying Business, Startup to Last, Zane Benefits
- **From:** Tucson, United States
- **Education:** Bachelor's degree in computer science; left the master's portion of a combined program after completing bachelor's requirements, Washington University in St. Louis
- **Known for:** Co-founded a self-funded CRM company in 2009 and continues to serve as its CEO., Led the company through its 2014 move to St. Louis and Arch Grant recognition., Less Annoying Software was an Inc. 5000 honoree in 2019, ranked No. 2,525.

## Career timeline

- **2007** — Joined Zane Benefits in Park City, Utah, as a programmer; met Rick Lindquist.
- **2008** — Remained after layoffs and took on product leadership responsibilities.
- **2009** — Co-founded Less Annoying CRM with brother Bracken King in San Francisco.
- **2010** — The product received its first paying customer.
- **2013** — The two founders began working full-time on the company.
- **2014** — Moved Less Annoying CRM to St. Louis; the company received an Arch Grant.
- **2016** — The company reached 10,000 users.
- **2017** — The company created its Coding Fellowship for people underrepresented in technology.
- **2019** — Co-hosted Startup to Last with Rick Lindquist; Less Annoying Software ranked No. 2,525 on the Inc. 5000.
- **2021** — Published essays on enough, employee pay, CEO responsibilities, and local working culture.
- **2022** — Published his approach to limiting founder compensation.
- **2023** — Shared a redesign and the company’s first Product Hunt launch on LinkedIn.

## Achievements

- Co-founded a self-funded CRM company in 2009 and continues to serve as its CEO.
- Led the company through its 2014 move to St. Louis and Arch Grant recognition.
- Less Annoying Software was an Inc. 5000 honoree in 2019, ranked No. 2,525.
- The company reached 25,000 users in 2021.
- Published concrete frameworks for employee and founder compensation.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Startup to Last published episode 211, What’s the difference between a harness and an agent, on September 15.
- **2026-09** — Startup to Last published What to do with extra marketing budget on September 3.
- **2025-01** — Appeared on The Panel with Colleen Schnettler, Justin Jackson, and Brian Casel to discuss SaaS predictions, AI, marketing, and customer support.

## Links

- Website: https://www.lessannoyingbusiness.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylermking
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/TylerMKing
- GitHub: https://github.com/tilikang
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tylerking.app

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/tyler-king
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11