In this episode of Company Breakdowns, 1 to 100 podcast host Usman Hanif welcomes Erik Bernhardsson, founder and CEO of Modal Labs.

Modal has rapidly scaled by offering high-performance, serverless GPU cloud solutions crucial for gen AI, machine learning, and data applications. The discussion covers their impressive growth, unique infrastructure advantages, and commitment to enhancing the developer experience. Bernhardsson also shares insights on building from scratch, handling cloud resource allocation, and the company's future ambitions.

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RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:

🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

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LINKS:

Modal Labs: https://modal.com

Hiring: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/modal

Why You Should Join essay on Modal : https://whyyoushouldjoin.substack.com/p/modal

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X :

@bernhardsson (Erik)

@usygoosy (Usman)

@modal_labs (Modal)

@why2join (Why You Should Join)

@turpentinemedia (Turpentine)

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:17) Overview of Modal Labs

(02:26) Deep dive into Modal Labs' technology

(03:39) Developer experience and infrastructure

(07:09) Challenges and innovations in cloud computing

(11:28) Measuring performance

(15:07) Why do people come to Modal?

(20:08) Sponsor: WorkOS

(21:16) High demand for GPUs

(24:51) Early days and business growth

(26:59) Power of developer experience

(29:09) Importance of onboarding and documentation

(32:23) Challenges in developer tools

(34:00) Insights from Spotify and Better.com

(36:33) Hiring the right talent

(40:48) Fundraising and investor relations

(42:02) Insights on the team culture

(44:42) Future of Modal

(49:41) Wrap

God Is at Work, Ep. 3