Greymatter

Greylock general partners Reid Hoffman and Sarah Guo discuss the all-important topic of raising early stage capital (with updated guidelines for the current economic environment). From understanding what metrics matter to team-building and reference-checking potential board members, this Greymatter episode provides entrepreneurs practical advice and unique insight from some of Silicon Valley's most active and experienced investors.

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We're more reliant on technology than ever. But there's always room for improvement. How should entrepreneurs approach product development at a time like now, when the Covid-19 pandemic has sparked an acute need for innovation in tools for seamless collaboration, communication and everything else? Greylock partner David Thacker, who previously held product leadership roles at iconic tech companies including Google, LinkedIn and Groupon, sat down with Greymatter to share his thoughts on the current environment, and why now is a challenging yet opportunity-rich moment for technology entrepreneurs. This episode is part of the #WorkFromAnywhere series hosted by David and fellow Greylock partner Sarah Guo. You can read about this episode here:https://greylock.com/greymatter/retooling-for-reality/

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Today’s entrepreneurs find themselves falling from the cliff and assembling a plane with tools that are on fire while being attacked by a swarm of murder hornets. Yet despite the increased risks, entrepreneurs are still taking those leaps of faith, for which we should all be grateful. Greylock partner Reid Hoffman and his Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh explore how to help and encourage those entrepreneurs by offering some thoughts on how to mitigate – or even leverage – the present set of risks to accelerate their progress.

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NOTE: Throughout this episode, the company is referred to as "Clubhouse". In 2021, the company re-branded to Shortcut(https://shortcut.com/)

Software startup Shortcut (previously named Clubhouse) built its product specifically for distributed teams, and the company had a high percentage of employees working remotely even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. But Shortcut CEO and co-founder Kurt Schrader said the shift to 100% remote work has provided fresh insight into the need for more and better tools that effectively recreate the ambient intelligence of working in an office. Kurt sat down with Greylock general partner Sarah Guo to discuss how the company is internally adapting to remote-first, how usage patterns are changing among their customers, and how Shortcut is thinking about the next phase of product development. This episode is part of the Greymatter #WorkFromAnywhere series hosted by Greylock partners Sarah Guo and David Thacker.

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Reid Hoffman shares his perspective on the fundamental choice that all venture-backed entrepreneurs face simple: M&A or IPO? Fortunately, there is one approach that allows you to build to go public AND to sell. You can read the essay based on this interview here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/reid-hoffman-ma-or-ipo/

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On this episode of Greymatter, Okta CEO and co-founder Todd McKinnon talks with Greylock partner Sarah Guo about leadership lessons for times of dramatic change, and how his team is meeting the surge in customer demand for Okta since Covid-19 hit. Todd, who left his job leading engineering at Salesforce in 2009 to start Okta, a Greylock portfolio company, reflects on the platform shifts that convinced him to take the leap, the parallels he sees today, and what's next for Okta. Finally, for over a year predating the pandemic, Todd has been a proponent of the nuanced “dynamic work" (rather than fully remote work). He explains that philosophy and shares Okta’s approach to talent. This episode is part of Greymatter's #WorkFromAnywhere series hosted by Greylock partners Sarah Guo and David Thacker.

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Months into the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the top questions on entrepreneurs’ minds is whether venture capital firms are still making investments. The short answer is “Yes,” but the details are important enough that the partners of Greylock thought it was worth exploring in greater depth. On the latest episode of Greymatter, Greylock investors Reid Hoffman and Saam Motamedi sat down with Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh, who guided a discussion of how Covid-19 has – and hasn’t – changed how we invest at Greylock.

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Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, tech startup Quora had a strong office culture and discouraged employees from working remotely most of the time. But once the company had no choice, Quora CEO and co-founder Adam D'Angelo says they discovered the benefits of working from anywhere far outweigh the drawbacks. In late June, Quora announced it would become a remote first company. Adam discusses the decision with Greylock partner David Thacker. This episode is part of Greymatter's #WorkFromAnywhere series hosted by David and fellow Greylock partners Sarah Guo.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the environment for entrepreneurship. In many ways, entrepreneurship has become more challenging; in a few ways, and for a few people, it has become easier. For all of us among the broader society, it has become more important. The pandemic has shown us the harsh reality of the world as it is. That new clarity may allow entrepreneurship to make more rapid progress towards how it should be.

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Box CEO and co-founder Aaron Levie sat down with Greylock General Partner Sarah Guo on Greymatter to discuss his company’s journey during the past decade leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic, how it has changed their product roadmap, and where he believes the opportunities for innovation still lie. This episode is part of Greymatter's #WorkFromAnywhere series hosted by Greylock partners Sarah Guo and David Thacker.

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