Power isn’t just possessed—it’s cultivated, wielded, and ultimately shared. Amy Clarke knows this intimately. Her warm, confident smile on this month’s New York Barter cover belies the tenacity that has made her one of business’s most formidable yet approachable leaders.
“People often mistake kindness for weakness,” Clarke says, leaning forward in her chair, casually pushing up the sleeves of her black blazer as afternoon light streams through her corner office windows. “That’s a fundamental error in judgment I’ve used to my advantage more times than I can count,” she adds with a laugh that somehow manages to be both disarming and knowing.
What began as a scrappy tech startup in her garage has morphed into Nexus Innovations, a company that has redefined how enterprises approach digital transformation. Clarke, who coded her first program at 12 on a computer her mother saved six months to buy (“she worked double shifts for that thing—I owed it to her to make something of it”), saw opportunities in market inefficiencies that established players had dismissed as unsolvable.
“Everyone was building solutions for problems that already had names,” she recalls, absently turning her wedding band around her finger—a habit when she’s thinking deeply. “I was more interested in the problems people hadn’t articulated yet, the friction points they’d just accepted as cost of doing business. That’s where the real transformation happens.”
By 30, she had secured her first major contract with a Fortune 100 company. Instead of following the typical growth playbook of immediate expansion, Clarke implemented what she terms “strategic patience”—a counterintuitive approach in the rush-to-scale startup world. “We turned down investor money twice,” she admits, still seeming slightly surprised by her own audacity. “My CFO nearly had a coronary. But I knew we needed to perfect our model before pouring gas on it.”
This disciplined approach has resulted in a company valued at over $3.8 billion, with an unusually high employee retention rate in an industry known for constant turnover. Her leadership philosophy, which she’s outlined in countless keynotes (while refusing multiple book deal offers), centers on what she calls “earned authority.”
“You don’t get respect from a title,” she insists, suddenly serious. “You get it from consistently making decisions that balance ambition with ethics, speed with sustainability. I’ve fired more people for how they treat our cleaning staff than for missing targets.” Her head tilts slightly. “Though ideally, you don’t do either.”
Her daily schedule reveals the intentional balance that powers her decision-making. Rising at 5:15 AM (though she confesses this sometimes slides to 5:40 “when my son had a nightmare or my daughter’s science project was due”), Clarke begins with 30 minutes of reading material unrelated to her industry—”perspective maintenance,” she calls it—before reviewing the day’s objectives and spending breakfast with her family.
“Everyone talks about work-life balance like they’re separate realms,” she notes, pulling up her famously color-coded calendar that her team has adopted company-wide. “I think of it more as work-life integration. Some days tip more toward family, others toward business. The key is being fully present in whichever space you’re occupying at the moment.”
Those who work with Clarke describe a leader who remembers details about their lives while setting seemingly impossible standards. “Amy once asked about my mother’s surgery during the same conversation where she challenged our team to cut development time by 40%,” says Nexus’s Chief Technology Officer, David Rodriguez. “Somehow both felt equally important to her. That’s why people would walk through walls for her—she sees the whole person, not just the output.”
With over 2.2 million followers across platforms, Clarke has built a digital presence focused on leadership insights rather than personal promotion. You can follow her practical business wisdom on Twitter, glimpses into her leadership approach on Instagram, and her “Five Minute Mentor” series on TikTok.
“I have a complicated relationship with social media,” Clarke acknowledges, glancing briefly at her phone before turning it face down on the table. “But I’ve come to see it as an extension of leadership responsibility. If I can help someone avoid the mistakes that cost me years of learning, that’s time well spent.” Her recent thread on Twitter about transparent decision-making during corporate crises has become required reading in several MBA programs.
This perspective extends to her advocacy work. Clarke has been particularly vocal about creating pathways for women in technology, establishing coding programs in underserved school districts and funding scholarships specifically for girls interested in STEM fields. The Clarke Foundation’s annual pitch competition has provided seed funding for over 75 female-founded startups.
“We talk about the pipeline problem,” she says, suddenly animated, “but that’s a convenient excuse. The real issue is access and visibility. You can’t become what you can’t envision for yourself.” She pauses. “I remember exactly how it felt to be the only woman in the room for ten years of my career. That loneliness is something no one should have to navigate as the price of admission.”
At 45, with a company approaching unicorn status and growing policy influence, Clarke seems increasingly drawn to questions of legacy. When asked what she hopes to be remembered for, she glances at the family photos prominently displayed alongside her industry awards.
“Building something lasting isn’t about bricks and mortar—or even code and clients,” she says thoughtfully. “It’s about the people you’ve helped become their best selves, whether that’s my children, my team, or some young girl who realizes she belongs in the tech world because she saw someone who looks like her succeeding in it.”
Our conversation has run thirty minutes over schedule. Her assistant has appeared twice, each time receiving a small hand signal acknowledging the time without breaking the flow of our discussion. When I mention the demands on her schedule, Clarke dismisses the concern with a wave.
“I’ve never regretted giving time to something meaningful,” she explains as she finally stands to end our interview. “But I’ve definitely regretted rushing through moments that deserved more space.” She smiles. “That’s the real luxury in a world obsessed with hustle—choosing where your attention goes and giving it completely.”
That intentionality—the ability to be fully present despite pulling the strings of a billion-dollar enterprise—might be Clarke’s most impressive leadership skill. In a business landscape often dominated by anxiety and divided attention, she has somehow maintained a centered presence that makes everyone in her orbit feel both valued and capable of more than they imagined possible. Perhaps that’s the true power of leadership she embodies: not just building a successful company, but building better versions of everyone it touches.
