"1 to 1000" | Scaling Startups with CEOs

In this episode of 1 to 100, host Usman Hanif welcomes Erik Bernhardsson, founder and CEO of Modal Labs.

Modal has rapidly scaled by offering high-performance, serverless GPU cloud solutions crucial for gen AI, machine learning, and data applications. The discussion covers their impressive growth, unique infrastructure advantages, and commitment to enhancing the developer experience. Bernhardsson also shares insights on building from scratch, handling cloud resource allocation, and the company's future ambitions.

🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last

Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

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SPONSORS: WORKOS

🛠️ Building a B2B SaaS app? WorkOS has got you covered with easy-to-integrate APIs for SAML, SCIM, and more. Join top startups like Perplexity, Vercel, Jasper & Webflow in powering your app with WorkOS. Enjoy a free tier for up to 1M users! Start now at https://bit.ly/WorkOS-Turpentine-Network

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LINKS:

Modal Labs: https://modal.com

Hiring: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/modal

Why You Should Join essay on Modal : https://whyyoushouldjoin.substack.com/p/modal

--

X :

@bernhardsson (Erik)

@usygoosy (Usman)

@modal_labs (Modal)

@why2join (Why You Should Join)

@turpentinemedia (Turpentine)

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:17) Overview of Modal Labs

(02:26) Deep dive into Modal Labs' technology

(03:39) Developer experience and infrastructure

(07:09) Challenges and innovations in cloud computing

(11:28) Measuring performance

(15:07) Why do people come to Modal?

(20:08) Sponsor: WorkOS

(21:16) High demand for GPUs

(24:51) Early days and business growth

(26:59) Power of developer experience

(29:09) Importance of onboarding and documentation

(32:23) Challenges in developer tools

(34:00) Insights from Spotify and Better.com

(36:33) Hiring the right talent

(40:48) Fundraising and investor relations

(42:02) Insights on the team culture

(44:42) Future of Modal

(49:41) Wrap

Thanks for an incredible season 1 of 1 to 1000. We'll be back soon with a whole new season. Let us know which visionary founders you want us to interview on season 2: Email [email protected] or respond in the Q&A section of Spotify!

🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj

Thanks to our sponsors for season 1:

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. 1 to 1000 listeners get $1000 off at: https://www.vanta.com/1000

Metaview is the AI assistant for interviewing. Metaview completely removes the need for recruiters and hiring managers to take notes during interviews—because their AI is designed to take world-class interview notes for you. Team builders at companies like Brex, Robinhood, Quora, and Replit say Metaview has changed the game—see the magic for yourself for free on your first 5 interviews: https://www.metaview.ai/1000

Pesto Tech is a hiring marketplace that makes finding great remote developers fast and easy. They use large language models to evaluate developers along dozens of parameters, including code quality, performance, and security. If you need to start hiring developers fast, all you have to do is answer 5 simple questions on their website: https://pesto.tech

—

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last

Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: TURPENTINE VC

Investor Erik Torenberg interviews partners at the top VCs in the world to learn their approach to the art and science of building a successful venture firm.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1701006772

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Yb8ErLRnyoAqn4Y6NegTx

On this episode of 1 to 1000, we interview Henry Ward, the CEO and co-founder of Carta. We chat about frameworks to navigate the idea maze to a $100M idea, identifying a wedge in a market, and how to hire the best VPs to scale with. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/1000 

🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj

---

SPONSORS:

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. 1 to 1000 listeners get $1000 off at: https://www.vanta.com/1000

Metaview is the AI assistant for interviewing. Metaview completely removes the need for recruiters and hiring managers to take notes during interviews—because their AI is designed to take world-class interview notes for you. Team builders at companies like Brex, Robinhood, Quora, and Replit say Metaview has changed the game—see the magic for yourself for free on your first 5 interviews: https://www.metaview.ai/1000

---

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last

Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: TURPENTINE VC

Investor Erik Torenberg interviews partners at the top VCs in the world to learn their approach to the art and science of building a successful venture firm.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1701006772

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Yb8ErLRnyoAqn4Y6NegTx

---

RECOMMENDED BOOK:

The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen https://a.co/d/1HIo9ii

---

X / TWITTER:

@henrysward (Henry)

@eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg)

@TurpentineMedia

---

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].

On this episode of 1 to 1000, we turn the tables on Jack and dial-in on his experience building Lattice into a start-up worth over $3 billion. We chat about founder-company fit, being an agreeable CEO, long-term relationship building, and more. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/1000 

🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj

---

SPONSORS:

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. 1 to 1000 listeners get $1000 off at: https://www.vanta.com/1000

Metaview is the AI assistant for interviewing. Metaview completely removes the need for recruiters and hiring managers to take notes during interviews—because their AI is designed to take world-class interview notes for you. Team builders at companies like Brex, Robinhood, Quora, and Replit say Metaview has changed the game—see the magic for yourself for free on your first 5 interviews: https://www.metaview.ai/1000

Pesto Tech is a hiring marketplace that makes finding great remote developers fast and easy. They use large language models to evaluate developers along dozens of parameters, including code quality, performance, and security. If you need to start hiring developers fast, all you have to do is answer 5 simple questions on their website: https://pesto.tech

---

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last

Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: TURPENTINE VC

Investor Erik Torenberg interviews partners at the top VCs in the world to learn their approach to the art and science of building a successful venture firm.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1701006772

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Yb8ErLRnyoAqn4Y6NegTx

---

X / TWITTER:

@jaltma (Jack)

@eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg)

@TurpentineMedia

---

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(00:44) How to find and recruit undiscovered talent

(06:38) The importance of staying longer in a company

(10:31) On long-term relationship-building

(14:51) Sponsor - Vanta

(15:49) On former founders becoming executives

(19:09) Founder market insights

(20:52) Idea maze for Lattice

(22:10) Formula for ramping up a SaaS company

(27:05) Sponsor - Metaview | Pesto

(28:39) The pros of being an agreeable founder

(32:44) Sam and Jack: Entrepreneurial style and skillsets

(34:33) Jack's advice on overcoming roadblocks to getting 1 to 1000

(38:14) Why incorporate Lattice in your company?

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].

This episode is a feed drop from our CPO-focused show, HR Heretics. Patty McCord joins co-hosts Kelly Dragovich and Nolan Church to talk about her decade+ tenure at Netflix, and how she created one of the most iconic and defining cultures in tech. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/1000 

🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj

---

SPONSORS:

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. 1 to 1000 listeners get $1000 off at: https://www.vanta.com/1000

Metaview is the AI assistant for interviewing. Metaview completely removes the need for recruiters and hiring managers to take notes during interviews—because their AI is designed to take world-class interview notes for you. Team builders at companies like Brex, Robinhood, Quora, and Replit say Metaview has changed the game—see the magic for yourself for free on your first 5 interviews: https://www.metaview.ai/1000

Pesto Tech is a hiring marketplace that makes finding great remote developers fast and easy. They use large language models to evaluate developers along dozens of parameters, including code quality, performance, and security. If you need to start hiring developers fast, all you have to do is answer 5 simple questions on their website: https://pesto.tech

---

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last

Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: TURPENTINE VC

Investor Erik Torenberg interviews partners at the top VCs in the world to learn their approach to the art and science of building a successful venture firm.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1701006772

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Yb8ErLRnyoAqn4Y6NegTx

---

X / TWITTER:

@pattymccord1 (Patty)

@NolanChurch (Nolan)

@eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg)

@TurpentineMedia

---

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:10) The true story behind Netflix’s culture deck

(05:08) Why releasing the culture deck changed Netflix’s hiring immediately

(07:14) What to do when employees are averse to change

(10:57) Delivering effective feedback

(14:52) Why execs need to get used to short tenures

(17:07) Sponsor: Vanta

(19:59) Retention and the truth we need to tell employees about career pathing

(21:32) How Reed Hastings hired Patty McCord

(26:15) How HR officers can get a seat at the table

(29:30) The P&L is the most important HR metric

(30:04) Sponsor: Metaview + Pesto

(32:02) Balancing business and relationship

(34:44) What Patty would tell her younger self

(37:59) What do HR people do?

(38:08) Fixing equal pay and compensation strategy

(44:37) Why an HR officer is a business leader, not a business partner

(47:50) What do founders expect from HR people?

(50:07) Compartmentalization and terminations

(53:59) Patty's take on HR pros taking the therapist zone

(56:55) Why having arguments at work should be normalized

(01:01:20) Does Patty miss being in the arena?

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].

Peter Reinhardt, CEO of Charm Industrial and previous CEO at Segment (sold to Twilio) joins Erik and Jack for episode six of "1 to 1000" in which they discuss what most founders miss about PMF, sales, recruiting, and more. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/1000 

🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj

---

SPONSORS:

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. 1 to 1000 listeners get $1000 off at: https://www.vanta.com/1000

Metaview is the AI assistant for interviewing. Metaview completely removes the need for recruiters and hiring managers to take notes during interviews—because their AI is designed to take world-class interview notes for you. Team builders at companies like Brex, Robinhood, Quora, and Replit say Metaview has changed the game—see the magic for yourself for free on your first 5 interviews: https://www.metaview.ai/1000

Pesto Tech is a hiring marketplace that makes finding great remote developers fast and easy. They use large language models to evaluate developers along dozens of parameters, including code quality, performance, and security. If you need to start hiring developers fast, all you have to do is answer 5 simple questions on their website: https://pesto.tech

---

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last

Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: TURPENTINE VC

Investor Erik Torenberg interviews partners at the top VCs in the world to learn their approach to the art and science of building a successful venture firm.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1701006772

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Yb8ErLRnyoAqn4Y6NegTx

---

X / TWITTER:

@reinpk (Peter)

@jaltma (Jack)

@eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg)

@TurpentineMedia

---

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:38) Product Market fit - how quickly should you expect something to work?

(03:00) Killing ideas too quickly

(04:56) The role of a founder in a company's early days

(07:30) Pricing from a values based perspective

(08:54) Nailing the initial customer value

(10:52) First time founders take market risk. Second time founders take execution risk

(12:50) Navigating the idea maze

(15:25) Sponsor: Vanta

(16:57) Figuring out the product fit moment

(21:34) Tactics on recruitment

(22:55) Favorite question to ask when doing references

(24:22) Acquisition during late stage of a company

(28:13) Acceleration post acquisition

(29:19) Sponsors: Metaview | Pesto Tech

(34:12) Incubating a longevity company

(36:14) Recovery period when switching companies

(37:21) Insights on managing the psychology of the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].

Mathilde Collin, CEO of Front, joins Erik and Jack for episode five of "1 to 1000" to talk lessons from leading a fast-scaling company. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/1000 

---

SPONSORS:

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. 1 to 1000 listeners get $1000 off at: https://www.vanta.com/1000

Metaview is the AI assistant for interviewing. Metaview completely removes the need for recruiters and hiring managers to take notes during interviews—because their AI is designed to take world-class interview notes for you. Team builders at companies like Brex, Robinhood, Quora, and Replit say Metaview has changed the game—see the magic for yourself for free on your first 5 interviews: https://www.metaview.ai/1000

Pesto Tech is a hiring marketplace that makes finding great remote developers fast and easy. They use large language models to evaluate developers along dozens of parameters, including code quality, performance, and security. If you need to start hiring developers fast, all you have to do is answer 5 simple questions on their website: https://pesto.tech

---

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: TURPENTINE VC

Investor Erik Torenberg interviews partners at the top VCs in the world to learn their approach to the art and science of building a successful venture firm.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1701006772

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Yb8ErLRnyoAqn4Y6NegTx

---

X / TWITTER:

@collinmathilde (Mathilde)

@jaltma (Jack)

@eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg)

@TurpentineMedia

---

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:24) On going against trends and experimenting about work-life balance

(04:41) Impact of the latest economic downturn on transparency

(06:49) Pulling employees through a downturn

(09:32) The litmus test for transparency

(12:49) On retaining your best people

(14:27) Sponsor: Vanta

(16:07) Self selection on recruiting people

(17:55) Recruiting in 2023 versus 2021

(19:37) Mathilde as a CEO in 2023 versus 2021

(22:11) On putting customers on the center

(24:05) Learnings and reflections around the big shifts + product strategy

(27:22) How to diversify away from seat model/ seat dynamic

(30:06) Time prioritization

(31:32) Sponsors: Metaview | Pesto Tech

(33:33) Time prioritization continued

(35:36) Advising founders on valuation

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].

This week Erik and Jack are joined by Claire Hughes Johnson, former COO of Stripe—we go deep into the nuances of management that most start-ups don’t learn fast enough. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/1000 

---

SPONSORS:

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. 1 to 1000 listeners get $1000 off at: https://www.vanta.com/1000

Metaview is the AI assistant for interviewing. Metaview completely removes the need for recruiters and hiring managers to take notes during interviews—because their AI is designed to take world-class interview notes for you. Team builders at companies like Brex, Robinhood, Quora, and Replit say Metaview has changed the game—see the magic for yourself for free on your first 5 interviews: https://www.metaview.ai/1000

Pesto Tech is a hiring marketplace that makes finding great remote developers fast and easy. They use large language models to evaluate developers along dozens of parameters, including code quality, performance, and security. If you need to start hiring developers fast, all you have to do is answer 5 simple questions on their website: https://pesto.tech

---

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: TURPENTINE VC

Investor Erik Torenberg interviews partners at the top VCs in the world to learn their approach to the art and science of building a successful venture firm.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1701006772

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Yb8ErLRnyoAqn4Y6NegTx

---

X / TWITTER:

@chughesjohnson (Claire)

@jaltma (Jack)

@eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg)

@TurpentineMedia

---

LINKS:

Check our Claire's book, Scaling People, for more essential management know-hows: https://www.amazon.com/Scaling-People-Tactics-Management-Building/dp/1953953212

---

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:23) How to fire well, quickly

(07:02) How do you systematize the keeper test

(10:55) Sponsor: Vanta

(11:53) How to promote and reward great people

(14:07) Building a malleable system for people at scale

(15:30) Promoting vs. hiring exec talent

(20:05) Communication architecture

(25:31) How to set up teams for communication success

(29:19) Sponsors: Metaview | Pesto Tech

(31:00) On the fallacy of transparency

(35:41) How to give direction well

(39:17) What's critical to get right on performance management

(43:02) How to set expectations

(46:43) On reorgs and how to do them right

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].

Jay Simons, former President of Atlassian (2011-2020) joins Erik and Jack for episode three of “1 to 1000." If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/1000 

---

SPONSORS:

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. 1 to 1000 listeners get $1000 off at: https://www.vanta.com/1000

Metaview is the AI assistant for interviewing. Metaview completely removes the need for recruiters and hiring managers to take notes during interviews—because their AI is designed to take world-class interview notes for you. Team builders at companies like Brex, Robinhood, Quora, and Replit say Metaview has changed the game—see the magic for yourself for free on your first 5 interviews: https://www.metaview.ai/1000

Pesto Tech is a hiring marketplace that makes finding great remote developers fast and easy. They use large language models to evaluate developers along dozens of parameters, including code quality, performance, and security. If you need to start hiring developers fast, all you have to do is answer 5 simple questions on their website: https://pesto.tech

---

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: TURPENTINE VC

Investor Erik Torenberg interviews partners at the top VCs in the world to learn their approach to the art and science of building a successful venture firm.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1701006772

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Yb8ErLRnyoAqn4Y6NegTx

---

X / TWITTER:

@jaysimons (Jay)

@jaltma (Jack)

@eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg)

@TurpentineMedia

---

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:34) What made Atlassian different from other VC-backed companies?

(03:55) How to orchestrate GTM teams efficiently

(07:37) Would Atlassian have raised to grow faster?

(11:30) Sponsor: Vanta

(12:50) Jay on what companies should raise / shouldn't raise

(16:48) What should companies not emulate Atlassian on?

(21:15) On how to price software

(26:24) How to use pricing to differentiate in a hyper-competitive market

(28:13) What metrics actually provide signal?

(30:07) Sponsors: Metaview | Pesto Tech

(31:50) The case for increasing / decreasing prices

(36:27) When to build a second product / go multi-product

(43:34) Atlassian's high volume of acquisitions

(46:45) Jay's criteria for good acquisitions

(50:31) Hubspot's employee magic and how to recreate it

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].

Qasar Younis and Peter Ludwig of Applied Intuition join Erik and Jack for episode two of “1 to 1000." If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/1000 

---

SPONSORS:

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. 1 to 1000 listeners get $1000 off at: https://www.vanta.com/1000

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RECOMMENDED PODCAST: TURPENTINE VC

Investor Erik Torenberg interviews partners at the top VCs in the world to learn their approach to the art and science of building a successful venture firm.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1701006772

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Yb8ErLRnyoAqn4Y6NegTx

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X / TWITTER:

@qasar (Qasar)

@jaltma (Jack)

@eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg)

@AppliedInt

@TurpentineMedia

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(00:42) The idea maze of Applied Intuition

(06:21) Qasar and Peter's thoughts on YC's thesis for why founders start companies

(09:39) Younger vs. older founders and what risks they should take on

(13:51) Sponsor: Vanta

(14:49) How to be a good founder: through experience

(16:33) What industries should founders start companies in?

(19:27) People, team, culture at Applied Intuition

(21:05) In-office policy vs. remote policy

(27:55) Sponsors: Metaview | Pesto Tech

(29:33) Unpacking "radical pragmatism"

(32:52) The discipline of living out company values

(36:51) The challenges of values

(40:06) What's Qasar changed his mind on since YC?

(42:14) On recruiting

(44:16) Qasar and Peter's unique insights on PMF

(47:22) How did Applied Intuition know when they had PMF?

(48:27) Multi-product companies

(50:26) Last thoughts from Qasar

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].