Welcome to this podcast episode featuring Olivia Moore and Bryan Kim from a16z, where we dive deep into the world of venture capital! Join us as we explore the secrets of becoming a successful VC and learn invaluable insights on stepping into the thrilling VC landscape. Discover the crucial dynamics between founders and VCs and gain expert advice on building strong relationships in this ever-evolving industry. Don't miss out on this enlightening conversation that will equip you with the knowledg...
Sep 23, 2023•45 min•Ep 49•Transcript available on Metacast Join us for a captivating episode with Congressman Ro Khanna as we explore an array of thought-provoking topics. From his early life and the immigrant experience to his impactful tenure in Congress, Ro Khanna shares his remarkable journey. Gain valuable insights into the dynamics between Silicon Valley and Washington DC and discover his compelling message for the tech hub. Dive into the future of artificial intelligence, as Ro Khanna discusses its potential benefits and drawbacks. Explore the de...
Sep 23, 2023•45 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast 0:00 Introduction to Nathan Myhrvold 5:40 Nathan's early years 13:33 Meeting Bill Gates 16:44 Understanding your audience 27:54 Microsoft culture 38:03 Nathan's passion for cooking 44:40 Archeology & Nathan's study of dinosaurs 49:23 Learning across multiple fields 52:30 Nathan's advice for you In this captivating podcast episode, renowned entrepreneur and visionary Nathan Myhrvold takes us on a fascinating journey through his extraordinary life. From his groundbreaking contributions at Microsof...
May 28, 2023•59 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast 0:00 Intro 1:23 Strauss' passion for fitness 14:50 Career Trajectory 25:15 Balancing the creative and the business 32:32 The culture of WWE 36:52 Strauss' career advice We dive deep into the world of business and fitness with none other than Strauss Zelnick. Strauss is the founder, CEO and managing partner of private equity firm ZMC, and is the Chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc, responsible for a broad portfolio of video game franchises such as BioShock, Borderlands, Grand T...
May 21, 2023•43 min•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast 0:00 Intro 01:17 Gina's book - Good Power 03:39 Ginni on becoming IBM's CEO 07:00 The Infinite Game 10:00 Ginni's childhood adversity 14:23 Is hard work controversial? 18:34 Obstacles, risk-taking, victimhood 24:30 Should you fit in or should you stand out? 33:54 What should change and what should endure 42:53 Chat GPT, the state of AI 46:44 Lessons from Ginni's book We had the privilege to host Ginni Rometty, former IBM CEO and author of the thought-provoking book "Good Power." Join us as she s...
May 13, 2023•48 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast 0:00 Intro 0:47 The song and dance of WWE 4:02 The final whistle 6:55 Why did Rob take on the Wrexham FC challenge 13:53 The bromance of Rob and Ryan 17:48 The emotional weight of running a football club 22:49 Mythic Quest and the gaming community 28:25 Gareth Bale to Wrexham FC? 29:05 On Sriram We sit down with Rob McElhenney, American actor, producer, writer and podcaster, and more recently, Rob is the co-owner of Wrexham FC. We discuss the club's remarkable promotion journey. Join us as we de...
May 06, 2023•33 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast 0:00 Intro 01:08 Creating as a couple 04:50 Lauryn and Michael's origin 07:58 The Skinny Confidential: Product-market fit 11:25 Dealing with criticism and cancel culture 22:00 Advice for new creators 25:34 Dear Media, explained 32:41 What makes a good podcast guest? 36:08 Cultivating the right energy, human connection 49:07 Elon Musk 50:47 Creating for different platforms 52:38 Growing: Dear Media and Skinny Confidential 56:06 The reward of podcasting 57:07 The future of Dear Media Lauryn Evarts...
Apr 30, 2023•1 hr•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast 0:00 Intro 7:16 Working with iconic founders, Steve Jobs 15:00 What would Steve Jobs have thought of crypto and NFT 16:15 The craft of iPod 20:00 The Evolution of Apple 27:00 Ian Rogers' career arc 31:20 Do hard things 36:50 Ian making tech cool 44:15 Sustainability and Optimism to Solve the climate crisis 48:05 The Legacy of Ian and Tony In this episode, Ian Rogers and Tony Fadell discuss their experiences working with Steve Jobs and the evolution of Apple, as well as their insights on the futu...
Apr 22, 2023•54 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast 0:00 Intro 1:54 How Stephen Wolfram approaches productivity 6:12 Stephen's day-in-life 7:45 Stephen's outlook on artificial intelligence 13:05 The human brain-artificial intelligence analogy 16:40 Wolfram's unique approach to GPT 31:00 The Pi computation 34:14 Risks of AI 45:32 Stephen's X factor 51:36 Are things as complex as they seem? 1:03:00 Do the simple things right Renowned physicist, mathematician, and computer scientist Stephen Wolfram joined us on the podcast to discuss AI, physics, an...
Apr 15, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast 0:00 Intro to Paul Buccheit 8:14 History of different emails 13:03 Building in public, 100 happy users 19:43 Gmail, over the years 27:35 Platforms built on open APIs 33:00 Iterate internally, User Experience 36:00 Advice for founders and startups, YC culture 50:00 Founders: Keep trying! Learn from failures 53:00 The state of Artificial Intelligence 1:00:00 I am nothing - identity, imposter syndrome, ego Paul Buchheit is a computer engineer and entrepreneur who is best known as the creator of Gma...
Apr 01, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast Based in San Francisco, Lenny Rachitsky is a Product specialist with a strong focus on growth. He spent seven years at Airbnb, where he started as a Product Manager in 2012 and later became a Product lead for supply growth. Lenny now works as a writer, investor, and consultant for product growth. He creates content on Substack, YouTube, and other podcasting platforms. Subscribe to Lenny's newsletter: https://www.lennyrachitsky.com/ The Good Times Show: Aarthi Ramamurthy and Sriram Krishnan host ...
Mar 25, 2023•53 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast Are you curious about the future of work and the rise of remote teams? Meet Alex Bouaziz, the innovative leader behind Deel, a groundbreaking platform that simplifies global hiring, payments, and compliance for businesses of all sizes. In this episode, we sit down with Alex to learn more about his mission to make work more flexible, accessible, and rewarding for everyone. The Good Times Show: Aarthi Ramamurthy and Sriram Krishnan host conversations with leading builders, and CEOs and reveal what...
Mar 18, 2023•45 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we talked to Emil Michael, who is Silicon Valley's best dealmaker. This was a masterclass in negotiation, art of making deals, when to walk away from them, his story, working with Travis Kalanick at Uber, and so much more. Emil Michael is an investor and strategic advisor to many high growth tech startups. He was the Chief Business Officer at Uber, during its period of expoential growth where it was the most valuable startup in the world. Hes also held leadership roles at Tellme...
Mar 04, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, the gang gets back together! Marc Andreessen and Steven Sinofsky are back to talk about all things AI. We cover the rise of ChatGPT, Bing's AI powered chat Sydney, AI ethics, sentience, whether AI will take over jobs, the economic impact, AI startups vs tech incumbents, and whether it is time for AI to become sentient. This was an incredibly fun episode! Marc Andreessen is an American entrepreneur, venture capital investor, and software engineer. He is the co-author of Mosaic, t...
Feb 25, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, our special guest is Marc "Tryndamere" Merrill, co-founder of Riot Games, the game developer and publisher behind League of Legends. This was an awesome episode and Marc is a fantastic guest. We talk about the origin of League of Legends, building a gaming startup, player focused culture, fundraising, building 'Arcane' the popular Netflix show and so much more. Enjoy!
Feb 18, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we talk to Anders Hejlsberg, the creator of programming languages such. as C#, Typescript, Turbo Pascal and Delphi, on a life spent on building programming languages, the history of Java, his systems and setup, and what the future of programing languages looks like. Anders is someone we have looked up to for a big part of our lives, and this episode was a treat for us!
Feb 11, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we talked to Elad Gil - a Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur, operating executive, and investor or advisor to companies including AirBnB, Pinterest, Square, and Stripe. He is also the author of High Growth Handbook, the playbook for turning a startup into a unicorn, and for navigating the most complex challenges that confront leaders and operators in high-growth tech startups. We covered a wide variety of topics during this chat - the current economic conditions and what it mean...
Feb 04, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we're doing a quick 'solo episode' where we talk about layoffs in tech, what to do if you are impacted, the power of networking, shifting careers, consulting, and hitting the reset button. If you've been impacted by the recent tech layoffs, or have wondered how to think about layoffs and their impact, this episode is for you.
Jan 28, 2023•46 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast This week we dive deep with Noam Shazeer, founder of Character.AI, Google veteran, and inventor of much of the current revolution in large language models including transformers, Mesh-Tensorflow, T5, and Googles LaMDA dialog system. We cover: the evolution of Google and AI, transformers, LLMs, neural networks, commercialization of Googles research, future of ChatGPT and AI, engineering philosophy, his work at Character.AI, and much more!
Jan 21, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast Andy Weir is the New York Times bestselling author of The Martian, Artemis, Project Hail Mary, and Cheshire Crossing. His 2011 novel The Martian was adapted into the 2015 film of the same name directed by Ridley Scott. In this episode, we talked about his story from being a software developer to a sci-fi author, getting a movie deal for The Martian starring Matt Damon, how humanity can go to another planet, his favorite sci-fi authors and what's next for him. As sci-fi nerds, this was a really f...
Jan 14, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast Brian Grazer is an Academy and Emmy award winning producer and writer. Grazer was personally nominated for four Academy Awards for Splash (1984), Apollo 13 (1995), A Beautiful Mind (2001), and Frost/Nixon (2008). His films and TV series have been nominated for 47 Academy Awards and 217 Emmy Awards. In 2002, Grazer won an Oscar for Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind (shared with Ron Howard). In this episode, we talked to Brian about his unique career path going from an outsider to a Hollywood insi...
Jan 07, 2023•56 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Aarthi and Sriram talked to James Clear, bestselling author of Atomic Habits (that sold over 9m copies!) and the popular 3-2-1 newsletter. We talked to him about writing and marketing a NYTimes bestseller, how to pick up good habits, the collective impact of small actions, and so much more. Check it out!
Dec 31, 2022•57 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast 'tis the time for our year end roundup - we talk about our favorite episodes this year, and our favorite other content - books, movies, in-person meetup, tech trends, and what is getting us excited about 2023. Happy holidays!
Dec 24, 2022•46 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast This week's special guest is Steven Sinofsky, one of our favorite techno-optimists responsible for shipping Windows and Office products at Microsoft used by billions of people. He is also the author of one of the most popular Substack books - https://hardcoresoftware.learningbyshipping.com In this episode we talked about Steven's early days at Microsoft, his famous internet memo, working with Bill Gates, and the traits he sees in good leaders and founders, how to set company culture, his experie...
Dec 17, 2022•2 hr 54 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Indra Nooyi joins us this week as our special guest. In this episode we talked about her upbringing and early life, her career including leading PepsiCo, her leadership lessons, making it as an immigrant, and her experience meeting Steve Jobs. Born in Madras (Chennai) in Tamil Nadu, India, Indra Nooyi is an American business executive and former chairperson and CEO of Pepsico. She has consistently ranked among the worlds 100 most powerful women. She serves on the boards of Amazon and ICC. In 200...
Dec 10, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast In this 'solo' episode, Sriram and Aarthi talk about their trip to India and hosting the first in-person meetup in Chennai for fans of the podcast, as well as Sriram's take on Elon's first few weeks at Twitter and what he learned from watching Elon at work.
Dec 04, 2022•46 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Aarthi and Sriram talk to Alexandr Wang is the founder and CEO of Scale AI. Alex is a 25 year old dropout from MIT, and is the youngest self made billionaire. Scale AI is the data platform for AI, providing high quality training data for leading machine learning teams. In this episode we talked about Alex's background and upbringing, how he stumbled onto the idea for Scale while building a camera in his refrigerator, the state of artificial intelligence, YCombinator (YC) program...
Nov 15, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Aarthi and Sriram talked to the one and only Marc Andreessen who is back by popular demand. For those of you (who are clearly living under a rock) who don't know him, Marc Andreessen is the co-founder of Netscape and co-founder and General Partner of Andreessen Horowitz. He is an innovator and creator, one of the few to pioneer a software category used by more than a billion people and one of the few to establish multiple billion-dollar companies. He is, without exaggeration, on...
Oct 30, 2022•2 hr 52 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Aarthi and Sriram talk to Rich Roll, an ultra-endurance athlete who is vegan, a chart-topping podcast host and author of multiple bestselling books, on his journey from being in college at Stanford, becoming an alcoholic, and then at the age of 40, recovering from his addiction, finding purpose and becoming an ultra endurance athlete. We talked about his early life, recovery, resurgence, role of spirituality in his life, what a typical week of diet and exercise looks like, why h...
Oct 23, 2022•59 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Aarthi and Sriram talked to Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus and now the founder and CEO of Anduril. We talked about Palmer's unique childhood, how he started Oculus and essentially made re-ignited the VR movement, sold to Meta, got fired, and then went on to start another challenging company called Anduril which focuses on building defense technology. We talked about Palmer's recent trip to Ukraine, the current state of the Ukraine/Russia, China/Taiwan and the threat of nuc...
Oct 15, 2022•2 hr 38 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast 
