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A Rough Conversation About Hope In AI Era And Why Your Future Is Bright, Not Lost.
What makes you roll your eyes?
Another wild claim about AI coming for you.
Not what we’re going to talk about today, this is about hope and inspiration.
I sat down with Gagan Biyani, Maven CEO and Co-Founder of Udemy, for one of the most honest conversations I’ve had about AI, education, and what it really takes to build something meaningful.
Here’s what struck me most: While everyone’s racing to replace humans with AI, Gagan is doubling down on human connection. While others promise exponential growth curves, he’s sharing the messy reality of wandering in the wilderness for three years before finding product-market fit.
This isn’t your typical founder story of overnight success. It’s the raw truth about building in uncertainty, staying stubborn about your vision when everyone else pivots, and why motivation matters more than perfect content.
If you’re building products, managing teams, or just trying to stay sane in the AI chaos, this conversation will ground you in reality while giving you hope for what’s actually possible.
My brain is still pumping hard after this 50 minutes of insightful conversation. Here are a few things you’re going to get from our talk.
7 Key Takeaways That Will Change How You Think
1. Motivation Trumps Content Every Single Time
“I think in education, the big insight that I have is that motivation is actually more important than the content. It’s more important than the personalization, it’s more important than anything AI can provide.”
Most product teams obsess over features and functionality. Gagan learned that 90% of the challenge is getting people to actually care enough to engage. The lesson for any product builder: solve for motivation first, everything else second.
2. AI Won’t Replace You, But It Will Supercharge You
“AI is not as smart as everyone makes it sound. And it’s not improving at the speed that people make it out to be... I can’t just feed it Maven and say, why don’t you go run Maven for me? It’s not even close.”
The most refreshing take on AI I’ve heard. While his engineers ship 50-80% of code via AI, Gagan can’t trust it to write a single LinkedIn post without heavy editing. Reality check: you’re not losing your job, but you’d better learn to dance with the robots.
3. The Platform Shift That Changes Everything
“Zoom is really the bedrock of Maven, right? It’s the platform change, it’s the iOS to Uber, Zoom is to Maven.”
Every breakthrough product rides a platform wave. Uber needed smartphones, Netflix needed a powerful connection, Maven needed Zoom’s ability to create intimate learning experiences with 50-2000 people. What platform shift are you missing?
4. Why Most Companies Die in the Wilderness Years
“We actually had a big crash at the company... It took us many years of just sort of wandering in the wilderness, trying to figure out if we still had something.”
Maven struggled with retention for years while every competitor pivoted. Yet, Gagan believed in his vision and didn’t give up, which clearly paid off. Today, they have tens of thousands of students. That’s a stunning achievement.
5. Technology Adoption vs. Innovation Reality Check
“There is rarely an exponential curve of technological innovation. You know, there is often an exponential curve of technological adoption.”
The S-curve truth bomb: breakthrough moments are rare and short. Then society spends decades actually implementing the change. I live in Munich, Germany, and I still receive letters from the tax office, and they like it when I send letters back. I think AI will be around in 2179, according to my forecast.
6. The Amazon Principle for Any Product
“If you can figure out what the number one and number two criteria are for your user in your market and just focus on that, you’re much more likely to be successful.”
Bezos built Amazon around three things customers wanted: low prices, wide selection, and fast delivery. Everything else was noise. What are your customers’ top two criteria? Everything else goes in the trash bin.
7. The Cultural Shift That Beats User Numbers
“If you ask an average product manager in tech today, where do you go to learn new things? ...it’s probably like double digit percentages of product managers will tell you, I took this course on Maven.”
Revenue and users are just numbers. Cultural mindset shift is what truly motivates. When your category becomes the default answer to “where do I go for X?”, you’ve won before the numbers show it.
This conversation reminded me why I love honest founders who share the messy reality behind the polished success stories. The future belongs to those who build with humans at the center, not in spite of them.
What resonated most with you? Hit reply and let me know.
Talk soon,David
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpereira.substack.com/subscribe
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By David PereiraWhat makes you roll your eyes?
Another wild claim about AI coming for you.
Not what we’re going to talk about today, this is about hope and inspiration.
I sat down with Gagan Biyani, Maven CEO and Co-Founder of Udemy, for one of the most honest conversations I’ve had about AI, education, and what it really takes to build something meaningful.
Here’s what struck me most: While everyone’s racing to replace humans with AI, Gagan is doubling down on human connection. While others promise exponential growth curves, he’s sharing the messy reality of wandering in the wilderness for three years before finding product-market fit.
This isn’t your typical founder story of overnight success. It’s the raw truth about building in uncertainty, staying stubborn about your vision when everyone else pivots, and why motivation matters more than perfect content.
If you’re building products, managing teams, or just trying to stay sane in the AI chaos, this conversation will ground you in reality while giving you hope for what’s actually possible.
My brain is still pumping hard after this 50 minutes of insightful conversation. Here are a few things you’re going to get from our talk.
7 Key Takeaways That Will Change How You Think
1. Motivation Trumps Content Every Single Time
“I think in education, the big insight that I have is that motivation is actually more important than the content. It’s more important than the personalization, it’s more important than anything AI can provide.”
Most product teams obsess over features and functionality. Gagan learned that 90% of the challenge is getting people to actually care enough to engage. The lesson for any product builder: solve for motivation first, everything else second.
2. AI Won’t Replace You, But It Will Supercharge You
“AI is not as smart as everyone makes it sound. And it’s not improving at the speed that people make it out to be... I can’t just feed it Maven and say, why don’t you go run Maven for me? It’s not even close.”
The most refreshing take on AI I’ve heard. While his engineers ship 50-80% of code via AI, Gagan can’t trust it to write a single LinkedIn post without heavy editing. Reality check: you’re not losing your job, but you’d better learn to dance with the robots.
3. The Platform Shift That Changes Everything
“Zoom is really the bedrock of Maven, right? It’s the platform change, it’s the iOS to Uber, Zoom is to Maven.”
Every breakthrough product rides a platform wave. Uber needed smartphones, Netflix needed a powerful connection, Maven needed Zoom’s ability to create intimate learning experiences with 50-2000 people. What platform shift are you missing?
4. Why Most Companies Die in the Wilderness Years
“We actually had a big crash at the company... It took us many years of just sort of wandering in the wilderness, trying to figure out if we still had something.”
Maven struggled with retention for years while every competitor pivoted. Yet, Gagan believed in his vision and didn’t give up, which clearly paid off. Today, they have tens of thousands of students. That’s a stunning achievement.
5. Technology Adoption vs. Innovation Reality Check
“There is rarely an exponential curve of technological innovation. You know, there is often an exponential curve of technological adoption.”
The S-curve truth bomb: breakthrough moments are rare and short. Then society spends decades actually implementing the change. I live in Munich, Germany, and I still receive letters from the tax office, and they like it when I send letters back. I think AI will be around in 2179, according to my forecast.
6. The Amazon Principle for Any Product
“If you can figure out what the number one and number two criteria are for your user in your market and just focus on that, you’re much more likely to be successful.”
Bezos built Amazon around three things customers wanted: low prices, wide selection, and fast delivery. Everything else was noise. What are your customers’ top two criteria? Everything else goes in the trash bin.
7. The Cultural Shift That Beats User Numbers
“If you ask an average product manager in tech today, where do you go to learn new things? ...it’s probably like double digit percentages of product managers will tell you, I took this course on Maven.”
Revenue and users are just numbers. Cultural mindset shift is what truly motivates. When your category becomes the default answer to “where do I go for X?”, you’ve won before the numbers show it.
This conversation reminded me why I love honest founders who share the messy reality behind the polished success stories. The future belongs to those who build with humans at the center, not in spite of them.
What resonated most with you? Hit reply and let me know.
Talk soon,David
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpereira.substack.com/subscribe