Learn more about the Google for Startups Cloud Program here.

In this episode of Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future, Zain and Hassan break down practical productivity strategies that don’t rely on the hustle-culture myth of working 80-hour weeks. They challenge the idea that endless grind equals success, instead advocating for smarter, more sustainable work habits. Hassan shares how sacrificing work-life balance early in his career accelerated his learning curve, while Zain critiques false productivity narratives and explains his approach to managing high-energy tasks and draining meetings.

The conversation explores key productivity techniques, including structured scheduling, batching similar tasks, and blocking time to avoid context switching. And our hosts stress the importance of health in maintaining peak performance, emphasizing sleep, diet, and exercise as crucial productivity boosters. 

Beyond work, Zain and Hassan discuss balancing productivity with family life, sharing personal experiences of managing careers alongside marriage and parenting. They stress that prioritizing relationships is essential for long-term success, helping avoid burnout and maintaining overall well-being. 

What we talk about:

(1:01) –  The 80-hour work-week myth

(4:19) – What does real productivity look like?

(7:30) – Rest is key

(8:40) – Recognise your energy boosts and energy drains

(12:00) – Plan ahead to avoid context-switching

(14:27) – Use checklists to appreciate your achievements

(16:21) – Get comfortable with delegation

(20:12) – Think tactically about work-life balance

(21:45) – Maintaining productivity and meeting family obligations

(29:48) – Recapping the Superhuman Productivity Tips

Learn more about the Google for Startups Cloud Program here.

In this episode of Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future, Zain and Hassan discuss the art of creating and growing successful side hustles. They explore how small projects can evolve into larger opportunities by solving problems for individuals that often apply to many, a key principle for scaling any business. With real-world examples from their own journeys, they provide actionable insights for turning side hustles into significant income streams.

They highlight the iterative nature of side hustles and explain why failure is both common and incredibly important. Zain and Hassan stress the importance of mindset—embracing setbacks as part of the process and staying persistent. They also outline the fundamental skills for side hustle success, focusing on product-building and distribution. 

Drawing from their experiences, Zain and Hassan share practical advice for starting side hustles with minimal capital, such as testing ideas with simple landing pages and small ad spends. Zain recounts building a consulting business and later an agency through his social media audience, while Hassan shares how continuous effort turned a side hustle into a venture-funded company. Packed with strategies to generate up to $10,000 monthly, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to transform a side project into a thriving business.

What we talk about:

(1:47) – The mindset of starting a side hustle.

(2:33) – Build something people want.

(4:56) – Understanding products.

(8:15) – How to approach distribution.

(14:59) – You don’t need a product to start testing your ideas.

(18:51) – Be obsessed with your customer, not the product.

(20:00) – Experiment with freelancing to test the market and your appetite.

(22:09) – How Hassan started his side hustle.

(23:51) – How Zain started his side hustle while in a full-time job.

(28:17) – Successful businesses aren’t built overnight. Embrace iteration.

Learn more about the Google for Startups Cloud Program here.

In this episode of Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future, Zain and Hassan dive into career-building strategies, focusing on how to develop your "unfair advantage." They share personal insights and actionable advice for prioritizing learning and growth over immediate salary and title, emphasizing the importance of seeking roles that accelerate career progression through high-growth opportunities.

They explore the concept of an "unfair advantage," defined as a unique blend of skills or expertise that sets you apart and creates lasting value. Hassan highlights the benefits of taking risks early in your career, sharing how bold decisions lead to exponential learning and long-term rewards. They also touch on the importance of promoting your work internally to ensure recognition and advancement.

And Zain rounds out the discussion by stressing the critical role of effective communication in career success, particularly through writing. Plus, he shares practical tips for improving communication, encouraging simplicity, clarity, and impact.

What we talk about:
(1:29) – What is an unfair advantage?
(4:11) – How can you build your unfair advantage?
(6:02) – How to think about risk.
(8:06) – Optimize for learning.
(13:23) – Choose job opportunities that maximize your learning opportunities.
(14:17) – How to find jobs where you'll learn the most.
(16:24) – Build complimentary skillsets.

(17:48) – Avoid becoming a generalist.
(21:02) – The importance of advocating for yourself.
(24:08) – How to promote yourself in the workplace.
(25:10) – Key skills everyone should have.
(32:28) – How to be a better communicator.

Learn more about the Google for Startups Cloud Program here.

In this episode of Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future, Zain and Hassan share 10 impactful career lessons from their personal journeys, offering actionable advice for listeners looking to shape their professional paths. From embracing risks early on to cultivating patience and persistence, this episode is packed with insights and practical strategies. 

Hassan discusses the importance of taking calculated risks early in your career, explaining how bold moves can set the stage for greater long-term rewards. Zain shares how confidence is built through action and overcoming challenges, reflecting on his own journey of tackling daunting tasks despite initial self-doubt. Together, they stress the value of seeking out failures as learning opportunities, reminding listeners that resilience and reflection are key to finding success.

They also explore the significance of networking, with Hassan sharing how reconnecting with Zain led to exciting business ventures, and they encourage listeners to build relationships and increase their "luck surface area," opening doors to unexpected opportunities.

What we talk about:
(1:24) – Risk scales better than effort.
(3:40) – Confidence is not a precondition for doing hard things – it’s the reward.
(6:55) – Don’t focus on work/life balance early in your career.
(9:49) – You need soft skills if you want to be successful.
(12:00) – Be thoughtful about your decisions when you have limited information.
(13:12) – Fail more.

(18:30) – Expand your network to increase your luck.

(21:30) – Create content to find opportunities.

(23:12) – Success requires patience and proactivity.

(27:04) – Work on the things you love.

Learn more about the Google for Startups Cloud Program here.

In this episode of Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future, Zain and Hassan delve into the critical role of content curation in shaping personal and professional growth, focusing on the distinction between "active content" and "passive content." Zain and Hassan discuss the concept of active content (educational podcasts, courses, and entrepreneurial insights) that equips listeners with practical skills and measurable improvements in areas like health, career, and well-being. They contrast this with passive content, which is often created for entertainment, capturing attention without delivering meaningful value, and highlight the importance of being intentional with content consumption.

Our hosts discuss the importance of aligning content consumption with personal goals and focusing on learning "technical truths" over "social truths." And Zain and Hassan also stress the importance of seeking credible content from experienced sources with aligned incentives, ensuring any insights gained are actionable and relevant.

They explore the benefits of becoming a content creator and contributing to the knowledge pool. Drawing from personal experiences, they share how producing valuable content enhances learning, builds credibility, and creates opportunities to influence others positively. Plus, they offer a thoughtful guide to curating content for a more intentional and fulfilling personal and professional life.

What we talk about:

(0:36) – Why you should be intentional with your content consumption.

(2:17) – The difference between active and passive content.

(8:30) – How active content changed Zain’s life.

(11:40) Hassan’s top content for building and scaling businesses.

(13:44) – What are technical truths and social truths?

(14:50) – Why you need to be aware of media companies’ credibility and incentive structures.

(16:08) – How to curate your list of credible content.

(19:36) – The power of content.

(23:04) – Zain’s top content picks.

Learn more about the Google for Startups Cloud Program here.

In this episode of Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future, Zain and Hassan explore practical strategies for increasing your income through the use of leverage. They introduce five key types of leverage—knowledge, labor, capital, technology, and media/distribution—offering a roadmap for turning skills into higher earnings. 

They share their personal experiences to illustrate these principles: Hassan recounts his journey from working at a startup to joining a founding team, and Zain discusses how he leveraged knowledge and labor to launch his own successful social media consultancy and create the Superhuman AI newsletter. Through consistency and hard work, they demonstrate how small, incremental efforts compound into meaningful career and income growth over time.

Zain and Hassan also underscore the value of building a public presence and network to unlock higher opportunities and income potential. They caution that this approach is not a get-rich-quick scheme but a systematic and sustainable strategy for achieving long-term financial success.

Packed with actionable insights to enthuse the budding entrepreneurs of 2025, this episode offers a practical guide to using leverage and continuous learning to create meaningful career and income growth.

What we talk about:

(0:48) - The challenge – how to achieve $8,000 per month of income.

(1:59) – What is leverage and why do you need it?

(3:45) – The importance of compounding.

(5:21) – Building leverage from zero.

(7:21) – Permission and permissionless leverage.

(8:33) – How Hassan built his leverage.

(10:46) – The most accessible form of leverage is knowledge.

(11:52) – Zain’s system for supercharging your knowledge.

(13:45) – Building Leverage within a job.

(15:13) – How to choose the right jobs after graduating.

(16:25) – Do you want to build or sell?

(20:11) – Forget your job title and focus on your experience.

(23:54) – Why should you share your knowledge and build an audience?

(29:29) – Utilising your leverage to 3x your income.

(33:08) – How Zain used this process to generate $100k+ per month.

(38:12) – Consistency is key.

Learn more about the Google for Startups Cloud Program here.

In this episode of Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future, Zain is joined by Tibo Louis-Lucas, creator of Tweet Hunter and the AI-powered LinkedIn post generator, Taplio, to explore the essentials of starting a business with simplicity and efficiency.

Tibo discusses the power of a lean, focused team in the early stages of a business, with a focus on the “distributor” (who brings the products to market efficiently) and the “builder” (who creates and maintains the product itself). The pair explain how this minimalist approach allows for clear responsibilities and operational clarity, and how it enables individuals to concentrate on their tasks without being overwhelmed.

Tibo also shares his insights on the broader principle of lean teams, and how small teams can remain agile and focused on delivering results. Plus, Zain and Tibo share some valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs, emphasizing the power of simplicity, the importance of strategic resource allocation, and the role of clarity in building strong foundations for any business.

What we talk about:

1:27 – How Tibo sold Taplio

3:23 – Tibo’s early days in building startups

5:13 – How did Tibo gain traction with Tweet Hunter?

8:18 – Separating good ideas from profitable solutions

13:31 – The journey from Tweet Hunter to Taplio

17:59 – Why builders should partner with content creators

20:54 – The acquisition of Taplio

27:57 – Getting banned from LinkedIn

30:14 – Taplio after the acquisition

33:41 – Why no one should be ignoring SEO

34:25 – Why did Tibo leave Taplio?

35:15 – Tibo’s latest project

In this episode of Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future, Zain and Hassan share practical strategies for finding business opportunities in AI. They argue that building on foundational technologies like Chat GPT or Claude can be highly lucrative, citing successful examples like Perplexity, backed by Jeff Bezos.

They explore four key approaches. The Operational Expenditures Attack reduces operational costs through AI automation, as seen with platforms like Harvey AI, while Feature Arbitrage leverages new AI features to quickly build niche products, exemplified by Plug AI and Jenny AI. The Personal Problem Goldmine emphasizes solving your own challenges for impactful ideas, and the Money Trail Method focuses on industries with heavy funding, like Semantic Health, addressing hospital revenue inefficiencies.

Finally, they discuss the X for Y Formula, which adapts successful models like ChatGPT to new domains, and we learn why curiosity and observation are essential traits for spotting opportunities in the AI space.

What we talk about:

1:12 – How to find product ideas

3:03 – All about Operational Expenditures

10:37 – Using Feature Arbitrage for new product ideas

13:35 – Why being a GPT wrapper isn’t a bad thing

16:04 – The Personal Problem Goldmine

25:19 – Finding ideas with the Money Trail Method

30:33 – The ‘X for Y’ formula

Learn more about AssemblyAI here.

In this episode of Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future, Zain and Hassan sit down with Elias Torres, co-founder and CEO of Agency, to learn about his remarkable career and vision for AI’s transformative role in customer success.

Elias discusses the motivations behind his entrepreneurial endeavors (founding Performable and co-founding Drift) and the challenges he faced while building innovative companies. He explains why recruiting top talent, fostering strong company culture, and maintaining a customer-centric approach are so important when it comes to scaling, and he explores the potential of AI and large language models (LLMs) in revolutionizing customer success. 

Plus, Elias offers his insights on private equity and M&A and gives us his practical advice for founders, stressing the value of transparency, decisiveness, and direct customer interaction. We’ll also hear about Elias’ podcast The American Dream and he shares his aspirations for Agency to redefine customer engagement with small, agile teams. 

What we talk about:
2:24 – Why is Elias creating another company?
3:52 – What was Elias’ dream before becoming an entrepreneur?
5:30 – What were some of the key moments on Elias’ journey to becoming an entrepreneur?
8:05 – What is it about “The Valley” that lends itself to startup success?
8:48 – What was it that drove Elias to keep pushing after selling Performable?
10:16 – What are the top three lessons learned from HubSpot?
12:01 – What makes software suck?
12:56 – What makes a company special?
15:27 – Lessons learned from M&A.
19:10 – How hard is it to build a big company?
21:53 – What problems does Agency aim to solve?
24:14 – How does the AI wave differ from the other technology waves from the last 20 years?
26:44 – Where would Elias be today if Drift had failed?
30:51 – What does Agency mean for businesses?

See more from Elias here:

• American Dream on YouTube
• American Dream on Apple
• American Dream on Spotify

Learn more about AssemblyAI here.

In this episode of Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future, Zain and Hassan sit down with Mike Murchison, co-founder and CEO of Ada, an AI-powered customer service platform. Mike takes us through the journey of Ada’s creation, detailing its early roots and the experiences that shaped its mission to revolutionize customer service through AI. He discusses the transformative impact of AI on customer service roles and how it’s reshaping the industry.

Drawing from his firsthand experience as a contact center representative, Mike explains how Ada’s development was deeply informed by the challenges he faced in the field. Plus, he explains how this hands-on insight helped Ada secure its first clients, who quickly became advocates for the platform.

Mike also shares key moments in Ada's development, including a strategic pivot to focus solely on customer service and the re-architecture of their platform around language models. He highlights the rapid advancements in AI, particularly in language and voice technology, and underscores the importance of staying agile and continuously learning to remain at the cutting edge of AI applications in customer service.

What we talk about:
1:24 – What is Ada?
4:01 – What does AI mean for the future of customer service?
6:53 – How did Mike build Ada and find his audience?
9:50 – What does Ada get right when it comes to customer service?
11:20 – What were some of the make-or-break points for Ada?
17:41 – Is Ada going to utilize voice models?
19:53 – What gives Ada its unfair advantage over the competition?
22:55 – What are Mike’s thoughts on Perplexity AI?
24:47 – How else is Mike using Ada in the office?
26:35 – How is the Ada team tackling AI hallucinations?
28:20 – What is the market like right now for AI entrepreneurs?
32:14 – Which industries will become the first to bring in wider adoption of AI tools?
34:04 – What should first-time founders be thinking about?