As a startup with ambitions of global disruption, the odds are already against you. Don't make things worse by launching in a geography that lengthens those odds, or that distort your company in a way that dooms international expansion.

How to think about geography? Chris and Yaniv don't quite see eye to eye on this one, so join them for a thought-provoking and (mostly) respectful debate. After that, tell us what you think! (Ed: Yaniv is clearly correct)

Follow us on Twitter @ybernstein @chrissaad

People Engineering Newsletter: newsletter.peopleeng.com

Startup Newsletter: www.chrissaad.com/startupnewsletter

***Leave us a rating and review in your favourite podcast app***

**This episode is brought to you by n14.io**

You're building a complex product, so you need a lot of specialists to handle the complexity, right?

BA, PM, UXR, UX, UI, PgM, PMM, Architect, TL, Scrum Master, FE dev, BE dev, DevOps, QA...

Right?

Wrong.

Chris and Yaniv describe the misunderstandings that lead to the formation of oversized teams of over-specialised roles---and the very real problems and dysfunctions that follow. They then discuss the scalable and effective organisational design adopted by some of the best tech companies such as Google, Uber, Facebook, Spotify, and Amazon.

Follow us on Twitter @ybernstein @chrissaad

People Engineering Newsletter: newsletter.peopleeng.com

Startup Newsletter: www.chrissaad.com/startupnewsletter

Please leave us a rating and review in your favourite podcast app!

**This episode is brought to you by n14.io**

You ask questions, we give answers! In our first-ever Listener Q&A episode, Chris and Yaniv tackle the following questions asked by our wonderful listeners:

-What are the biggest mistakes new founders make?

-What are the pros and cons of taking money from a strategic investor?

-Key operational metrics for engineering and product teams?

-What should I do if I find out someone else is building the exact same product as me?

-Should I wait until I find the perfect problem to solve before founding a startup, or dive right in?

Follow us on Twitter @ybernstein @chrissaad

People Engineering Newsletter: newsletter.peopleeng.com

Startup Newsletter: www.chrissaad.com/startupnewsletter

Please leave us a rating and review in your favourite podcast app!

**This episode is brought to you by n14.io**

Sentiment in the markets has turned sharply downward. What does this mean for venture-backed startups?

Don't panic.

-Is this more like 2001 or 2008?

-What should you be doing differently?

-Should you extend your runway?

Follow us on Twitter! @chrissaad and @ybernstein

Leave us a rating and review in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. It makes us so happy 🤗🤗🤗

What do you need to do to keep employees engaged and committed? What should your position be on remote work? Side hustles? Ping pong tables? Should you offer all employees equity?

Look at any great tech company, and there is an exceptionally talented team behind it. Great talent is always in short supply, so how do you make sure that you are able to secure incredible people for your startup? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv discuss:

Chris' "Tips for hiring like Uber" post: https://www.chrissaad.com/startupsnippets/2021/12/oxin1bo5ow0s53tz7vcsh7c3g8z5k3

The co-founder relationship is far and away the most important one in any startup. If you get the partnership right, you become an unstoppable team. If you get it wrong, the relationship will blow up -- most likely taking the startup with it. So how do you know what to look for in a co-founder? And how do you find Mr/Mrs/Mx Right? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv dive into:

You’re a “tech” company, so you’re building technology, right?

Wrong.

Technology is merely the medium through which you are bringing a product to the world. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv talk about what it means to build a product, what that means for your relationship with customers, and the profound importance of learning how to say “no” to your customers.

Have you followed your heart when choosing the business model for your startup? Or are you making the choice out of fear?

Yaniv and Chris examine when to go B2B and when to go B2C, and how too many startups are selling to the very industry they should actually be disrupting.

Episode overview:

[1:44] Chris explains how the Netflix and Uber b2c business models made them so truly disruptive

[7.22] Why pursue a full-stack disruption over a traditional B2B model?

[11:16] Case study examples: Uber and Instagram’s success with customers

[13:51] The consequences of moving from B2B to B2C

[16:21] Aggregation theory and power of aggregating demand

[29:01] The mirage of playing it safe in life and in business

[29:53] How to bring investors on board with your b2c, full-stack disruption business model

References:

Stratechery blog - https://stratechery.com/