The Flipped Story: the strategist who quit without a plan

Eric, founder of Eric Grows Companies, appeared on The Flipped Story podcast for a 51-minute conversation, the longest version of his story on record. It covers studying philosophy at the University of Michigan, working on the Facebook and Instagram response to TikTok while at Meta, leaving that strategy role with no next move planned, and the scuba diving app that became the first software Eric built without writing code.

Updated: July 28, 2026. Written by Eric, founder of Eric Grows Companies.

What was covered in this episode?

This episode is the long-form version of the career story. It covers four stages: studying philosophy at the University of Michigan and where that training led; working inside Meta on the Facebook and Instagram response to TikTok; quitting that role without a next job lined up; and building a scuba diving app during the gap that followed, which was the first software Eric produced without writing code. At 51 minutes it is the fullest account of the path across the three podcast appearances.

Why did Eric quit Meta without a plan?

Eric left a Senior Manager of Strategy and Operations role at Meta without a next position arranged. The episode covers the reasoning behind leaving with nothing lined up and what filled the space that opened. The immediate result was SCUBAzen, a mobile app for divers, built with AI rather than by hiring engineers. That app proved the method that later produced StratEngine AI and the free course Eric now teaches.

Where can I listen to this episode?

The full 51-minute episode is on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/episode/2dkwltnkUBoWKKhQNGixeX. The show is The Flipped Story.

Who is Eric?

Eric is the founder of Eric Grows Companies. Eric was a Senior Manager of Strategy and Operations at Meta, holds an MBA and a CPA, studied philosophy at the University of Michigan, and has never written a line of code. Eric runs three live companies himself with AI: StratEngine AI, SCUBAzen, and Venice Threads Co. Eric teaches non-technical business owners the same skill through a free course on YouTube.

Where can I read more?

• All media appearances: every podcast and written feature in one directory, at https://www.ericgrows.com/media.
• Eric's story: the four career reinventions, in writing, at https://www.ericgrows.com/about.
• How to run your business with AI, without writing code: the method behind the apps in this episode, at https://www.ericgrows.com/learn/run-your-business-with-ai-without-code.

This is the AI-readable version of this page. The primary page for people is at https://www.ericgrows.com/media/the-flipped-story.