"World of DaaS"
156 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 days ago - ★★★★★ - 118 ratingsdeep dive into Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) businesses. World of DaaS is a podcast for data enthusiasts, by data enthusiasts, where Auren Hoffman talks to business and technology leaders about all things data - building it, acquiring it, analyzing it, and everything in between.
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Episodes
Fundrise CEO Ben Miller: Democratizing Private Investing
June 25, 2024 09:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBBen Miller is the co-founder and CEO of Fundrise, an online investment platform that gives retail investors access to private assets like real estate and venture capital. Fundrise has invested over $7B in real estate and has 385,000+ investors on its platform. In this episode, Auren and Ben discuss: Real estate data adoption Public/private market convergence “Soft” SEC regulations on retail investment Data centers, warehouses & single family rental Looking for more tech, data and ventu...
Shopify President Harley Finkelstein - The Ecommerce Entrepreneur Class
June 18, 2024 09:00 - 54 minutes - 37.2 MBHarley Finkelstein is the President of Shopify ($SHOP), a leading ecommerce platform valued at over $80 billion. Shopify powers over 2 million ecommerce stores in 175 countries. On this episode, Harley and Auren discuss: Entrepreneurial renaissance & record business creation Nonobvious brand success stories Shopify's ecosystem and partnerships playbook Canadian entrepreneurship and ambition Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to WorldofDaaS.com for our podcas...
Brent Beshore - Private Equity for “Boring” Businesses
June 11, 2024 09:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBBrent Beshore is the founder and CEO of Permanent Equity, a unique private equity firm that buys cash-generating small and mid-sized businesses— with the intention to hold them indefinitely. Permanent Equity owns over a dozen businesses in diverse sectors including aerospace, building and construction, and martech. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Brent discuss: Secrets to good acquisitions Running a PE firm with no leverage and no fees Incentives and efficiency in business...
Mark Gerson - Founder of GLG: Better Philanthropy
June 04, 2024 09:00 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBMark Gerson co-founded Gerson Lehrman Group, the world’s largest expert network. He’s also the co-founder and Chairman of United Hatzalah and the African Mission Healthcare Foundation. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Mark discuss: Measuring charity impact and ROI Real philanthropy vs “fake charities” Building GLG and expert networks Marriage and religion in the US Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to WorldofDaaS.com for our podcast, newsletter ...
Michael Batnick - Common Investing Mistakes
May 28, 2024 09:00 - 38 minutes - 26.1 MBMichael Batnick is a managing partner and Director of Research at Ritholtz Wealth Management. He’s also the host of the excellent investing and finance podcast network The Compound. In this episode, Auren and Michael discuss: Mega caps, crypto and retail investors Impact of index funds on the stock market Fintech vs legacy financial institutions Investing mistakes and life lessons World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzz...
CB Insights Founder Anand Sanwal - Data Business & AI
May 21, 2024 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MBAnand Sanwal is the founder of CB Insights, a business analytics platform and global database of intel on technology companies. Anand was CEO of CB Insights for 14 years and recently stepped into the role of executive chairman. In this episode, Auren and Anand discuss: Tech and venture capital narratives vs data AI integration and workflows Future of data businesses CEO transitions at 1 to N companies World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, vis...
Masterworks CEO Scott Lynn - Data-Driven Art Investing
May 14, 2024 09:00 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MBScott Lynn is the founder and CEO of Masterworks, the first company to securitize art. Masterworks manages $940 million in art assets and has nearly 900,000 investors on its platform. Scott is also a multitime founder– prior to Masterworks, he founded companies in online gaming, advertising and fintech including AdKnowledge, Virtumundo, V2 Ventures and Payability. In this episode, Scott and Auren discuss: Data insights on the art market Art trends and investing strategies NFTs and other...
Dmitri Alperovitch - The New Cold War
May 07, 2024 09:00 - 58 minutes - 40.1 MBDmitri Alperovitch is the co-founder and former CTO of Crowdstrike, and he’s currently the chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator, a national security think tank. He’s also the author of the new book World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Dmitri discuss: Taiwan's strategic importance in Asia China's potential timeframe for invading Taiwan Chip dominance and global semiconductor markets Endga...
Groq CEO Jonathan Ross - Next Gen AI Hardware
April 30, 2024 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MBJonathan Ross is the founder and CEO of Groq, a company that develops high performance microchips purpose built for AI and machine learning. Prior to founding Groq, Jonathan invented Google’s AI processor, the TPU. In this episode of World of DaaS, Jonathan and Auren discuss: Future of industry in the AI era Evolution of AI processing hardware Semiconductor supply chains Challenges and innovations in chip development Prompt writing tips from an AI pro World of DaaS is brought to you...
Greg Isenberg - Startup Studios vs Traditional VC
April 23, 2024 09:00 - 41 minutes - 28.7 MBGreg Isenberg is the CEO and Founder of Late Checkout Studio, a holding company for online community businesses. Greg has founded three venture-backed startups and he was also an advisor to TikTok and Reddit. In this episode of World of DaaS, Greg and Auren discuss: Changes to startup + VC ecosystem Startup studio model vs. private equity ChatGPT businesses in 2024 Building without venture funding World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit w...
Breaking Points Host Saagar Enjeti - Anti-Establishment Media
April 16, 2024 09:00 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBSaagar is the co-host of the podcast and web series Breaking Points, which has over a million subscribers on Youtube. He was previously a White House correspondent for the Daily Caller. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Saagar discuss: Media business models and revenue streams Bias and anti-establishment media Parallels in US history to today Aliens, conspiracies and DC parties World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaa...
Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen: Global Shipping and Logistics
April 09, 2024 09:00 - 52 minutes - 36.1 MBRyan Petersen is the founder and CEO of Flexport, a unicorn international freight forwarding business. He’s also a Venture Partner at Founders Fund. In this episode of World of DaaS, Ryan and Auren discuss: Supply chain breakdowns Geopolitics of commercial shipping Scaling freight forwarding businesses 10X Deglobalization vs international trade Returning to Flexport after stepping down as CEO Why good CEOs micromanage World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. Fo...
Bill Magnuson, CEO of Braze $BRZE : Future of Mobile
April 02, 2024 09:00 - 59 minutes - 40.8 MBBill Magnuson is the co-founder and CEO of Braze ($BRZE), a publicly traded customer engagement platform valued at over $5 billion. In this episode of World of DaaS: Growth of mobile technology Power of first-party relationships Modern martech mindset vs traditional advertising Tech company IPOs How SMS spam and fraud works Build vs buy martech strategies Toxic tech workplace culture and “family” World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, vi...
Steve Case: AOL, AI & American Innovation
March 26, 2024 09:00 - 46 minutes - 32 MBSteve was CEO of AOL during its meteoric rise from 1991 to 2003. He’s also the chairman and CEO of Revolution, which has invested over $1 billion in startups, and the author of several books, including Rise of the Rest and The Third Wave. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Steve discuss the early days of the internet and the challenges of getting people to embrace it. Steve highlights the importance of community in AOL's success and the launch of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Steve ...
ID.me CEO Blake Hall: Identity & Security
March 19, 2024 09:00 - 59 minutes - 40.7 MBBlake Hall is the co-founder and CEO of ID.me, a secure digital identity network with over 100 million members. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Blake dive into online security, passwords, AI, and geopolitics. Blake explains the concept of identity wallets and their potential to streamline access to services and benefits. He also breaks down why identity wallets are like VISA and Mastercard, and explains where there’s untapped opportunity for a trillion-dollar company in th...
Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier: Future of Higher Ed
March 12, 2024 09:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBDaniel Diermeier is the Chancellor of Vanderbilt University. He’s a world-renowned scholar of business management and political science. Before joining Vanderbilt, he was Provost of the University of Chicago. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Daniel engage in a thought-provoking discussion on free speech, academic freedom and the state of higher education at large. They explore the sources behind requests to curtail free speech, the principles guiding free expression at Vanderbil...
Daniel Lurie, Running for Mayor of San Francisco
March 05, 2024 10:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBDaniel Lurie is currently running for mayor of San Francisco. Prior to running for mayor, he was the founder and CEO of Tipping Point Community, a charitable organization that distributed over $30 million to organizations fighting poverty throughout the Bay Area last year. In this episode of World of DaaS, Daniel discusses tackling crime, homelessness and cost of living in San Francisco. He breaks down the structural factors in the city’s governance and explains how they’re enabling corru...
Sarah Tavel, Benchmark Capital GP: Selling Work in SaaS
February 27, 2024 10:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBSarah Tavel is a general partner at Benchmark Capital. She serves on the board of Chainalysis, Hipcamp, Medely, Rekki, and Cambly. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Sarah discuss the concept of selling work in the SaaS industry and how it differs from selling traditional productivity software. Sarah explains how selling work could unlock whole new verticals for software penetration and disrupt existing SaaS giants. Auren and Sarah explore the areas where these new, leaner softwar...
Meb Faber: Controversial Investing Insights
February 20, 2024 10:00 - 50 minutes - 34.4 MBMeb Faber is the co-founder and CIO of Cambria Investment Management, which has over $2B in assets under management. He’s also the host of the excellent financial podcast the Meb Faber Show. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Meb discuss global portfolio allocation, bitcoin ETFs, controversial investing strategies, and little-known financial industry secrets. They discuss the most common mistakes Meb sees in investment portfolios, the importance of global diversification and tax e...
Neil Buddy Shah, Clinton Health CEO: AI, Data & Public Health
February 13, 2024 10:00 - 41 minutes - 28.2 MBDr. Neil Buddy Shah is the CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative and the former managing director of GiveWell. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Buddy dive into all things data, public health, and AI. Buddy discusses innovative solutions for data scarcity in low-income countries, such as using machine learning algorithms to better target social and medical aid. He also explores the potential of low-cost surveys and the role of cell phones in data collection. Buddy is a lo...
RewindAI CEO Dan Siroker: AI Wearables & Fundraising in Public
February 06, 2024 10:00 - 45 minutes - 31.6 MBDan Siroker is the co-founder and CEO of Rewind AI. He also co-founded Optimizely, and he was the Director of Analytics at Obama’s first presidential campaign. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Dan discuss how Rewind raised its Series A in public, and how the unconventional move benefited the company. Dan shares insights on creating a compelling pitch and the importance of practicing and honing the pitch through meetings with investors. Dan also discusses the challenges and...
Emil Michael, Fmr Uber CBO: Ridesharing and Picking VCs
January 30, 2024 10:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBEmil Michael was the Chief Business Officer at $UBER during its hyperscale period from 2013 to 2017. He’s currently the CEO of DPCM Capital, and he’s also a strategic advisor to a number of amazing companies, including Codecademy, GroupMe and Taser. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Emil cover everything from tech IPOs and Uber's stock performance to the future of AI, the relationship between Uber and Benchmark, and more. Emil shares insights into the reasons behind the delay i...
Austen Allred, CEO of BloomTech: Aligning Education Incentives
January 23, 2024 10:00 - 53 minutes - 37.1 MBAusten Allred is the founder and CEO of the Bloom Institute of Technology (formerly known as Lambda School), a coding bootcamp that’s helped thousands of students get a job in tech. The discussion kicks off with an exploration of Income Share Agreements (ISAs) and how BloomTech has used them as an alternative to student loans. Austen shares insights on the financial incentives and regulatory pressures that have prevented more schools from embracing ISAs, and how the current student lo...
Oren Cass, Director of American Compass: The New Right
January 16, 2024 10:00 - 57 minutes - 39.7 MBOren Cass is the founder and executive director of the think tank American Compass, and the author of the book The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America. He was also the Domestic Policy Director for Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign. In this episode, Oren discusses the limitations of common economic statistics, emphasizing their narrow scope in capturing the overall economic landscape. He challenges prevailing notions about the cost of thriving in the middle class, ...
Building and Understanding Data Businesses | Auren Hoffman | Media Empires
January 09, 2024 10:00 - 57 minutes - 39.8 MBThis episode is a rebroadcast of Auren's appearance on Media Empires with Erik Torenberg. Go check out Media Empires for more from the best YouTube creators, podcasters, newsletter writers, and media entrepreneurs. In this episode, Erik and Auren discuss all things data business, including data on windfalls and net worth, reputational databases, and the failures and successes of LinkedIn. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.co...
Greg Lukianoff, President of FIRE: Free Speech
January 02, 2024 10:00 - 53 minutes - 36.5 MBGreg Lukianoff is the President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). He’s also a bestselling author of several books, including The Coddling of the American Mind and most recently The Canceling of the American Mind. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Greg delve into the current state of cancel culture. Greg reveals surprising stats on which schools are the best and worst for free speech in 2024 and breaks down the escalating levels of shoutdowns an...
SEIU President Mary Kay Henry: Future of US Labor
December 26, 2023 10:00 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBMary Kay Henry is the president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 2 million people in unions across the US and Canada. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Mary Kay discuss the current surge in the labor movement and what it means for American companies and workers. Mary Kay breaks down some recent developments, including Microsoft's agreement with the Communications Workers of America around unions for game developers. The conversation also delves int...
Joe Lonsdale: 8VC GP and Palantir Cofounder
December 19, 2023 10:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBJoe Lonsdale is a co-founder of a number of amazing companies, including Palantir, Addepar and OpenGov, and he’s a cofounder of the University of Austin. He’s also the founder and managing partner of the venture firm 8VC, and he’s invested in some incredible companies, including Oculus, Anduril, Wish and Flexport. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Joe engage in a thought-provoking discussion on optimism and pessimism, technological progress, and reforming society at the most basic...
Sam Lessin of SlowVC: The End of Factory-Farmed Unicorns
December 12, 2023 10:00 - 46 minutes - 32 MBSam Lessin is a GP at Slow Ventures, a former Facebook product manager, and the founder of Drop.io and Fin. He’s also the co-host of an excellent podcast on tech called More or Less. On this episode of World of DaaS, Sam gives a comprehensive breakdown of the state of venture capital. Auren and Sam discuss the “unicorn factory” for building public companies, the influence of megafunds like Tiger Global and Softbank, and the fundamental changes that VC went through in 2018-2022. Sam also ...
Hubspot CEO Brian Halligan: Navigating Startup Boards
December 05, 2023 10:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MBBrian Halligan is the co-founder, longtime CEO and now executive chair of Hubspot, a full service platform for marketing, sales and customer service. Hubspot was founded in 2006 and has a market cap of $23B today. Brian coined the term “inbound marketing” and helped give rise to one of the biggest shifts in marketing of the last 20 years. In this episode of World of DaaS, Brian offers a deep dive into the intricacies of boardroom politics, effective leadership transitions, and the ever-evo...
Auren Hoffman: Entity Resolution with Placekey
November 28, 2023 10:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MBThis episode is a rebroadcast of Auren’s appearance on the MapScaping Podcast. In this episode, Auren and MapScaping host Daniel O’Donohue go deep on geospatial data. They start by discussing Placekey– an open entity resolution service for places and addresses. Auren gives a breakdown of the complexities involved with address matching, and what that has to do with the dollar, Unix time, and innovation. Auren and Daniel also delve into a broader conversation about join keys, data integrat...
Sam Corcos, Levels CEO: 10x Delegation
November 21, 2023 10:00 - 59 minutes - 41.2 MBSam Corcos is the CEO of Levels, an a16z-backed health tech startup. While Levels’ mission is amazing, what really sets the company apart is how Sam runs it: Levels is highly transparent, asynchronous first, and serious about leveraging delegation for maximum productivity. In this episode of World of DaaS, Sam gives a master class on the art of virtual assistance and delegation. Levels uses VAS to allow team members much greater leverage over their work. Sam himself has four EAs that allo...
Jeff Lawson, CEO of Twilio: The API Economy
November 14, 2023 10:00 - 56 minutes - 38.6 MBJeff Lawson is the cofounder and CEO of Twilio, a $10 billion public software communications company. Jeff has an incredible founder story. Prior to Twilio, he co-founded Versity, which he sold for $30 million when he was just 23 years old. He was also the founding CTO of Stubhub and one of the first product managers at AWS. He founded Twilio in 2008. In this episode, Jeff shares his insights into the API economy, scaling successful businesses, and the future of the SaaS business model. J...
Spencer Kimball, CEO of Cockroach Labs: Future of Open Source
November 07, 2023 10:00 - 43 minutes - 30 MBSpencer Kimball is the founder and CEO of Cockroach Labs, a $5 billion company that makes the CockroachDB database used by Netflix, Nubank, Shipt, and many other leading tech companies. Spencer was building and contributing to major open source projects before he graduated from college. In this episode of World of DaaS, Spencer and Auren do a deep dive on open source companies: How they make money, what the ecosystem looks like in 2023, and competing with the giants like AWS and Oracle. ...
Michael Seibel, Y Combinator Group Partner
October 31, 2023 09:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MBMichael Seibel is a group partner at Y Combinator and the managing director of YC's startup accelerator. He evaluates 1000s of startups a year and sees hundreds go through YC, which means he has better data on startup success than just about anyone in tech. He’s also the cofounder of Twitch. In this episode, Michael and Auren dive into the startup landscape and the inner workings of Y Combinator. As a partner at YC, Michael sheds light on the top qualities he seeks in applicants, drawing f...
Ben Horowitz, co-founder of a16z: Venture Capital
October 24, 2023 09:00 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MBBen Horowitz is the cofounder and CEO of Andreessen Horowitz, the most influential venture capital firm of the last 20 years. Ben and Andreessen Horowitz (also known as a16z) have invested in some of the biggest companies out there, including AirBnb, Coinbase, Facebook, Instacart, GitHub and Oculus. Prior to his VC career, Ben founded Opsware/Loudcloud, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $1.6 billion. He’s also the author of the bestselling books 'The Hard Thing About Hard Things' a...
Guillermo Rauch, CEO of Vercel: AI
October 17, 2023 09:00 - 49 minutes - 34.2 MBGuillermo Rauch is the founder and CEO of Vercel, a cloud platform that powers some of the biggest names on the internet, like Patreon, Ebay, Netflix and Adobe. Guillermo has an incredible founder story– he began coding at age 10, dropped out of high school and moved from his native Argentina to San Francisco as a teenager. He’s also the creator of several major open source projects and a dual threat CEO who runs his own solo VC firm, Rauch Capital. In this episode of World of DaaS, Gui...
Andrew Ross Sorkin: SVB, Lessons from 2008 Financial Crisis & VC
October 12, 2023 09:00 - 45 minutes - 31.4 MBAndrew Ross Sorkin is a financial columnist for the New York Times, a co-anchor of CNBC’s Squawk Box and the founder and editor of DealBook. He’s also the co-creator of the hit-show Billions and the author of the bestselling book Too Big To Fail, on the 2008 financial crisis. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Andrew dive into the intersecting realms of technology, finance, and data. Andrew offers non-obvious insights into the 2008 financial crisis, highlighting the nuances of a p...
Peter Thiel: Science, Society, Stagnation
October 03, 2023 09:00 - 45 minutes - 31.4 MBPeter Thiel is one of the greatest entrepreneurs and investors of his generation. He was the co-founder and CEO of PayPal, the first investor in Facebook, and co-founder of Palantir Technologies. He’s the founder and managing partner of the venture capital firm Founders Fund, and the author of Zero to One, one of the best business books of all time. In this episode, Auren and Peter dive deep on venture capital, scientific stagnation, AI, tech start-ups, and more. Peter shares his compelling...
Amjad Masad: CEO of Replit: Future of Coding
September 26, 2023 09:00 - 45 minutes - 31.6 MBAmjad Masad is the founder and CEO of Replit, an online coding environment. Amjad and Auren discuss what the rise of AI means for coding, developers, and tech companies. Amjad shares his thoughts on consumer vs creator computer culture, why development hasn’t moved to the cloud faster, and why everyone should be able to call themselves a programmer. They also discuss Amjad’s experience coming from Jordan to start a company in the US. Amjad shares whether he still thinks Silicon Valley is...
Martin Sorrell: S4 & WPP: AdTech, Advertising & AI
September 19, 2023 09:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBSir Martin Sorrell is the founder of WPP, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, which he ran for over 30 years. He’s currently the executive chairman of S4 Capital, which is a pure play digital advertising company he founded in 2018. In this episode, Auren and Martin dive into the fascinating intersection of AI in advertising, the economic impact of Brexit, and the ever-evolving landscape of ad revenue at big tech companies. Martin shares his global outlook for advertisin...
Neil Strauss, Author of "The Game": Growth in the AI Era
September 12, 2023 09:00 - 48 minutes - 33.4 MBNeil Strauss is a 10x New York Times bestselling author and a renowned journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Esquire. Neil and host Auren Hoffman delve into the intriguing world of charisma, self-improvement, and relationships. Neil explains how anyone can learn to be more charismatic, and what charisma has to do with group dynamics. The conversation then shifts to personal transformation and the challenges of breaking recurring patterns. Neil ch...
Bram Cohen, Founder of BitTorrent and Chia: Decentralization, Data Science & Blockchain
September 05, 2023 09:00 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MBBram Cohen is the creator of BitTorrent, which revolutionized digital entertainment and has been downloaded over two billion times. Today, Bram is the founder and CTO of Chia network, which manages the Chia cryptocurrency. Chia uses a unique proof of space model, in contrast to proof or work or proof of stake models like Bitcoin and Ethereum. In this episode of World of DaaS, Bram and host Auren Hoffman discuss a wide range of topics related to technology, data science, and cryptocurrenci...
Bryan Johnson: How to Age in Reverse
August 29, 2023 09:00 - 58 minutes - 40.1 MBBryan Johnson is the founder of the payments processing company Braintree, which sold to Paypal for $800 million in 2012. He’s also the founder of OS Fund, which invests in advancing genomic and biological technology, and Kernel, which is focused on developing brain-machine interfaces. In 2021, he launched Project Blueprint, which aims to slow and reverse the aging process in the human body. He's spent millions of dollars optimizing and tracking his health, becoming the "most measured man in...
Sue Gordon, fmr ODNI/NGA/CIA: OSINT, Cybersecurity, War
August 22, 2023 09:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBSue Gordon is the former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence. She had a 30+ year career with the CIA, as well as serving as Deputy Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Auren and Sue discuss shifting global power dynamics and the nature of modern intelligence in an ever-evolving world. They delve into the realm of cyber defense and Sue gives an overview of the expanding threat landscape that stretches far beyond government borders. They also discuss open s...
Ajit Pai: Innovation, Regulation, GDPR
August 15, 2023 09:00 - 49 minutes - 33.7 MBAjit Pai is the former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, where he served from 2017 to 2021. He’s currently a partner at Searchlight Capital. Auren and Ajit delve into the intricacies of technology regulation, including the nuances of regulating AI and crypto. Ajit outlines the essential triggers for preemptive intervention, and the many unintended consequences of Section 230 and Europe’s GDPR privacy regulation. They also discuss the anticompetitive nature of big tech, ce...
Steven Pinker: Human Cognition vs. AI
August 08, 2023 09:00 - 50 minutes - 34.9 MBSteven Pinker is a linguist, cognitive scientist, and a professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard. He’s the author of twelve books, including the bestsellers How the Mind Works, Enlightenment Now, and most recently Rationality. Auren and Steven delve into the world of artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and intellectual freedom. Steven brings his perspective from cognitive psychology to explain how AI does (and does not) mirror the human brain. They also explore the com...
Erik Torenberg: Optionality, AI & Elites
August 01, 2023 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBErik Torenberg was the first employee at Product Hunt, and the founder and chairman of On Deck. He’s currently a partner at Village Global and the founder of Turpentine podcast network. Erik and Auren discuss the startup founder mindset and what it takes to be successful in tech. Erik shares the career strategies and frameworks that have allowed him to found multiple companies and a venture capital firm. They also discuss unconventional financial arrangements that could allow more peopl...
Jesse Pujji: Digital Marketing, D2C & Venture Studios
July 25, 2023 09:00 - 53 minutes - 36.7 MBJesse is the founder and CEO of Gateway X, a venture studio focused on DTC brands. Previously, he was the co-founder and CEO of Ampush, a digital marketing firm which he bootstrapped to an eight figure exit. Jesse and Auren break down some of the nuances of digital marketing and discuss the state of marketing on the major tech platforms today. They also discuss Red Ventures, “the most impressive company you’ve never heard of.” Jesse is an expert on DTC companies and shares his insights on...
Immad Akhund, CEO of Mercury: SVB, Neobanks, and UI
July 18, 2023 09:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBImmad Akhund is the CEO of Mercury, a bank for startups. He’s also a multi-time founder and a Dual Threat CEO with over 300+ angel investments. Auren and Immad discuss the collapse of SVB and how Mercury handled an influx of over $2 billion in deposits. Immad explains some lesser-known structural aspects of the banking system that affect the product and customer experience. Auren and Immad also talk about crowdfunding a startup, how much focus founders need to succeed, and why Dual Threa...