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E84: He Built a Million-User App to Save Gen Z From Loneliness I Joseph Perla
What happens when Silicon Valley’s brightest minds take on humanity’s most silent crisis?
In this explosive episode, serial entrepreneur Joseph Perla reveals how he built Hangout.fm, a platform using music and gaming to fight the loneliness epidemic that's devastating Gen Z. From zero to over 1 million users, Joseph shares raw, behind-the-scenes lessons on building community, scaling without ads, and rewriting the rules of human connection in a tech-first world.
WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER:
- The shocking reason Gen Z is abandoning traditional socializing
- How music became the secret weapon for authentic digital communities
- Why “you can’t just buy ads” anymore — and what actually works
- The underground tactics that grew Hangout to 1M+ users
- Why solo founders are outperforming traditional teams in 2025
“You can’t just build an app — you have to build a movement.”
🎧 Whether you're a founder, creator, Gen Z leader, or someone just craving deeper connection — this episode will change how you think about technology, community, and what comes next.
About Joseph:
Joseph Perla is an entrepreneur and music tech expert currently serving as the Founder and CEO of Hangout, a social music game for teens. He got his start during his years attending Princeton University, when he launched several social networks tailored to his interests, including Zandigo in 2005 for college students and Labmeeting in 2007 for scientists. He was also, in 2011, a founder behind Turntable, which introduced the idea of social listening. Perla also spent time working at Facebook (now Meta), where he led product and engineering for Facebook's iPhone News Feed; co-founded Terminal.com, where he helped to secure over $4 million in funding and which was acquired by Udacity in 2017; and spearheaded Passenger and Driver Growth at Lyft during its most significant expansion phase.
Connect with Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephperla/
More about hangout: https://hangout.fm/
🎙️Hosted by Zivile Einikyte:
https://www.perceptionparadox.com
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zivileeinikyte/
🎵 Music by Luca Nioi:
http://www.lucanioi.com/
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:16 Joseph Perla's Journey in Tech and Startups
05:21 The Birth of Hangout and Addressing Loneliness
08:19 Target Audience and Growth Strategies
11:31 Community Engagement and Retention Strategies
14:19 The Evolution of Founding Teams and Community Building
19:51 Building Hangout.fm: Team and Vision
23:46 Monetization and User Engagement Strategies
29:09 Navigating the Tech Ecosystem and Challenges
34:38 Distribution Strategies for Startups
36:56 The Importance of Community and Connection
View all episodes
By Zivile EinikyteWhat happens when Silicon Valley’s brightest minds take on humanity’s most silent crisis?
In this explosive episode, serial entrepreneur Joseph Perla reveals how he built Hangout.fm, a platform using music and gaming to fight the loneliness epidemic that's devastating Gen Z. From zero to over 1 million users, Joseph shares raw, behind-the-scenes lessons on building community, scaling without ads, and rewriting the rules of human connection in a tech-first world.
WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER:
- The shocking reason Gen Z is abandoning traditional socializing
- How music became the secret weapon for authentic digital communities
- Why “you can’t just buy ads” anymore — and what actually works
- The underground tactics that grew Hangout to 1M+ users
- Why solo founders are outperforming traditional teams in 2025
“You can’t just build an app — you have to build a movement.”
🎧 Whether you're a founder, creator, Gen Z leader, or someone just craving deeper connection — this episode will change how you think about technology, community, and what comes next.
About Joseph:
Joseph Perla is an entrepreneur and music tech expert currently serving as the Founder and CEO of Hangout, a social music game for teens. He got his start during his years attending Princeton University, when he launched several social networks tailored to his interests, including Zandigo in 2005 for college students and Labmeeting in 2007 for scientists. He was also, in 2011, a founder behind Turntable, which introduced the idea of social listening. Perla also spent time working at Facebook (now Meta), where he led product and engineering for Facebook's iPhone News Feed; co-founded Terminal.com, where he helped to secure over $4 million in funding and which was acquired by Udacity in 2017; and spearheaded Passenger and Driver Growth at Lyft during its most significant expansion phase.
Connect with Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephperla/
More about hangout: https://hangout.fm/
🎙️Hosted by Zivile Einikyte:
https://www.perceptionparadox.com
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zivileeinikyte/
🎵 Music by Luca Nioi:
http://www.lucanioi.com/
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:16 Joseph Perla's Journey in Tech and Startups
05:21 The Birth of Hangout and Addressing Loneliness
08:19 Target Audience and Growth Strategies
11:31 Community Engagement and Retention Strategies
14:19 The Evolution of Founding Teams and Community Building
19:51 Building Hangout.fm: Team and Vision
23:46 Monetization and User Engagement Strategies
29:09 Navigating the Tech Ecosystem and Challenges
34:38 Distribution Strategies for Startups
36:56 The Importance of Community and Connection