The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

305: Dropbox’s Drew Houston on Continuous Learning, Decision Making, and Fixing the Way We Work


Listen Later

By now, the story is legend. When Drew Houston boarded a bus from Boston to New York and discovered that he had—yet again—forgotten to bring his thumb drive, he was frustrated. So frustrated that he sat down and began writing the first lines of code of what would eventually become Dropbox.

After over a decade of changing the way files are stored, synced, and shared, Houston is changing the way people work, once again. This time, to solve a problem that likely plagues every single knowledge worker today: our fragmented, overcomplicated workspaces.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about Houston’s journey—from ideation to launch—with Dropbox Spaces, as well as the most important lessons he’s collected while building a multibillion-dollar company with over 500 million users.

Key Takeaways

  • The relatable experience that inspired Houston to come up with the idea for Dropbox
  • Why Houston doesn’t believe there’s any “magic” involved in building a multibillion-dollar company
  • The importance of decision making and learning continuously on the job
  • How a conversation with a SpaceX engineer sparked the vision behind Dropbox Spaces
  • Houston’s advice on “harvesting” versus “planting” when it comes to your business
  • Why Houston is such a huge believer in intentionally designing your environment—at work and with your personal relationships
  • ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    The Foundr Podcast with Nathan ChanBy Foundr Media

    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9

    4.9

    562 ratings


    More shows like The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

    View all
    The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast by Pat Flynn

    The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast

    3,440 Listeners

    The GaryVee Audio Experience by Gary Vaynerchuk

    The GaryVee Audio Experience

    16,830 Listeners

    Capitalism.com with Ryan Daniel Moran by Capitalism.com

    Capitalism.com with Ryan Daniel Moran

    727 Listeners

    Shopify Masters by Shopify

    Shopify Masters

    379 Listeners

    Entrepreneurs on Fire by John Lee Dumas of EOFire

    Entrepreneurs on Fire

    3,827 Listeners

    Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips by Eric Siu and Neil Patel

    Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips

    1,264 Listeners

    The Martell Method w/ Dan Martell by Dan Martell

    The Martell Method w/ Dan Martell

    573 Listeners

    The Game with Alex Hormozi by Alex Hormozi

    The Game with Alex Hormozi

    4,457 Listeners

    The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett by DOAC

    The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

    8,522 Listeners

    My First Million by Hubspot Media

    My First Million

    2,654 Listeners

    The Startup Ideas Podcast by Greg Isenberg

    The Startup Ideas Podcast

    205 Listeners

    The UpFlip Podcast by UpFlip

    The UpFlip Podcast

    251 Listeners

    Build with Leila Hormozi by Leila Hormozi

    Build with Leila Hormozi

    927 Listeners

    Moneywise by Hampton

    Moneywise

    660 Listeners

    BigDeal by Codie Sanchez

    BigDeal

    921 Listeners