What makes a person pay $120 for a tote bag—or fall in love with your software? Paul and Rich use a recent article about a TikTok influencer’s pricey (and popular!) tote bag to discuss our relationships with the things we buy, from unboxing videos (“commerce translated into emotional satisfaction”) to technologists’ largely incorrect assumption that adding one more feature will fundamentally change the way users feel about their product.
Feb 06, 2024•26 min•Season 2Ep. 94
Paul tries to talk about his current obsession—synthesizers—on a hardware and software level, but Rich turns the tables to talk about Paul’s obsession itself. After Rich repeatedly asks Paul, “What are you doing?” they discuss the appeal of minimally online hobbies (and, by extension, software) in an extremely online world.
Jan 30, 2024•21 min•Season 2Ep. 93
Men will literally record a podcast about their anxiety rather than go to therapy. How do you run a business when the world is on fire in so many ways? Paul and Rich talk about the state of things—including whether their perceptions of said things are even accurate—and how they should work, what to consider as they grow their company, and when to turn off. Gotta keep going.
Jan 23, 2024•23 min•Season 2Ep. 92
Our friends find themselves in a new, corporate co-working space, determining that this, finally, is the thing that will push their digital product over the edge. Then, in a typically wide-reaching (cough) conversation, Rich and Paul discuss the current status of free speech discourse, in the context of the drama around Substack, and—well, as Rich puts it—“Who the hell asked technologists to be the arbiters of free speech?” Paul confesses that he dislikes mess, which would deeply shock anyone wh...
Jan 16, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 91
Rich and Paul ring in 2024 assessing the biggest technological development of last year, this year, and possibly many future years to come: Generative AI. Why did AI truly find a mainstream foothold in 2023—and how is the space going to evolve in the coming months? Plus: They engage in some (corporate) roleplay, and get really into character.
Jan 09, 2024•24 min•Season 2Ep. 90
Rich and Paul talk about their willingness to be humiliated in a corporate context. It sounds just a little like they crave it. Especially Paul. Which is weird but whatever. Then they talk about how you can't automate relationships—how you can't remove interaction from the loop. They discuss what they learned this year, and what they hope to learn next year.
Dec 19, 2023•28 min•Season 2Ep. 89
Our friend Jim Nielsen cataloged all the podcasts we didn't record, so Paul and Rich doubled down and recorded five new podcasts in a hurry. The end result is exactly what you would expect. YouTube edition features extra-ridiculous stock imagery.
Dec 12, 2023•21 min•Season 2Ep. 88
Now longer than three minutes! (Sorry, tech glitch.) Rich and Paul talk about that most evergreen and thrilling of subjects—the marketing funnel! How it starts, where it goes, what makes it better or worse, and the great and deep importance of onboarding in this world.
Dec 05, 2023•29 min•Season 2Ep. 87
Paul and Rich explore the web as a platform for everyone's data, leading to a shocking number of digressions into the class structure inherent in Android and iOS, how Google manages data, and old naked nudes. As noted at the beginning of the video, this one doesn't feature their little heads. They're going back to basics. This one does include so, so much AI and stock imagery though. It's hallucinatory. Enjoy!
Nov 28, 2023•29 min•Season 2Ep. 86
With Sam Altman fired from OpenAI, there was so much drama in tech that it was impossible not to discuss it. With no secret insight but remarkable aplomb, Paul and Rich dive deep on the passionate subject of corporate governance, and try to understand just what the hell is going on.
Nov 21, 2023•32 min•Season 2Ep. 85
Has Angular gone the way of the automat? Paul and Rich discuss how hard it is to give up on a programming language that's fallen out of fashion—especially when it's as much a part of your identity as your day-to-day work. Plus: An ode to bananas, nature's perfect creation.
Nov 14, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 84
Paul gives Rich an overview of where AI is these days, from Biden's regulations to Chinese lovelorn bot mistresses. It's an interesting, messy moment as global legislation starts to take shape, new features drop daily, and the world is left to figure it all out. Meanwhile, the podcast's slow journey towards AV quality continues.
Nov 07, 2023•35 min•Season 2Ep. 83
Paul and Rich take on an evergreen: How not to get sued! NOT LEGAL ADVICE. But what are the obvious steps that you can take when you start a business in order to avoid getting sued? Includes a massive bait-and-switch, plus some really fun insurance thoughts. NOT LEGAL ADVICE.
Oct 31, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 82
Rich and Paul struggle with video technology as they seek to jam the podcast into YouTube, but limp across the line with a whole podcast. Briefly digressing and explaining themselves, they proceed to discuss AI, namely sexy robots (they're against), using a complicated metaphor involving WordPerfect 5.1—definitely something Gen Z will connect with—and what's good about ChatGPT. Rich closes it by predicting an almost inevitable nightmare scenario where giant AI platform companies will use their a...
Oct 24, 2023•22 min•Season 2Ep. 81
Join our journey as our sponsor swallows us whole! This podcast has now morphed into the Aboard Podcast. Rich and Paul will uphold the same spirit and will be entering the YouTube realm – catch the hosts' faces and join the adventure! Sign up, reach out, and get on mobile to be part of Aboard .
Oct 05, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Rich and Paul checkin on AI! They discuss the sweet spot where AI excels in streamlining tasks but falls short in capturing the intention and meaning woven into human expression. This podcast is sponsored by Aboard , it uses amazing AI technology to tame the web’s wildest data, clean up your tabs, and help you get things done fast—solo or with others.
Oct 03, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 79
In this episode Rich and Paul unravel the legal battles around Amazon's market dominance. Discover how its built in tactics affect small sellers, reshape prices, and redefine the game, leaving us all pondering who truly controls the online marketplace. This podcast episode is sponsored by Aboard .
Sep 28, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Join our latest episode where Rich and Paul uncover the secrets of remarkable company turnarounds! Discover how visionary leadership and unwavering brand commitment transformed struggling businesses into industry titans. Speaking of pivots... check out our sponsor for this podcast - Aboard .
Sep 26, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 77
In this episode Rich and Paul delve into the importance of onboarding to learn the skills of the app, and turn the users to regular users. This podcast episode is sponsored by Aboard .
Sep 21, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 76
In this episode Rich and Paul solve it - they solved websites! They discuss whether or not your business needs a website, and offer advice on what platforms to use. This podcast episode is sponsored by Aboard .
Sep 19, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 75
In this episode Rich and Paul discuss the importance of having a physical space for startups. As it enhances your representation in front of big companies and also helps foster stronger relationships and collaborative learning. This podcast episode is sponsored by Aboard .
Sep 14, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 74
In this episode Rich and Paul explore how dominant platforms maintain their edge. Uncovering the ecosystem strategies and the ongoing battles to stay competitive in a fast-paced world. This podcast episode is sponsored by Aboard .
Sep 12, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 73
In this episode Rich and Paul delve into the different aspects of a software company- and yes it is more than a code! They discuss how a lot of sales and marketing has gone into growing well established softwares that we see today. This podcast episode is sponsored by Aboard .
Sep 07, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Rich and Paul discuss how everyone wants to build their own thing, but then the time comes where they have to let their personal brand die. Building a personal brand is a one lane business, making it hard to scale without creating a business entity. This podcast is sponsored by Aboard .
Sep 05, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 71
Once you launch you lose control. So, you spent your days trying to get everything right, and then when you launch you figure out that no one cares - which is why launch is very anticlimactic. Our advice? Lean into the ambiguity, lean into growth, listen to the feedback and be flexible-- only then would you figure out what business you're truly in. This podcast is sponsored by Aboard .
Aug 31, 2023•15 min•Season 1Ep. 70
Rich and Paul have launched their product! - quietly though... In this episode Rich and Paul discuss, the meaning of launch and the fact that it's just the beginning-- that there is no finality to it. Check out the launch of Aboard .
Aug 29, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Rich and Paul discuss how softwares usually promise to be a solution, some sort of pain relief. However, that isn't realistic the promise of being a solution is too good to be true. Which is why we built Aboard, and it is not a solution, however it is malleable enough to be a solution. This podcast is sponsored by Aboard .
Aug 24, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Rich and Paul discuss how new tech like Threads offers humans a fresh start. However, human beings fundamentally don't want to change, and we run into issues because we don't move as fast as our technology does - however we know of a fast growing yet intuitive technology - our sponsor Aboard .
Aug 22, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 67
Rich and Paul discuss whether the internet is actually elevating people's lives. They discuss the good and the bad, but all in all the internet is making us more informed it's just what we choose to do with that information that counts. This podcast is sponsored by Aboard (where you can save all your mug collections too).
Aug 17, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 66
In this episode, Rich and Paul delve into the topic of firing people from the perspective of the employer. And offer advice on how to ensure that relationships within the organization remain profitable to the organization. This podcast is sponsored by Aboard .
Aug 15, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 65
