The CTO Show with Mehmet Gonullu #497 From Startup Grind to Mozilla Labs: Raj Singh on AI, Vibe Coding, and Building What Matters
Raj Singh, VP of Product at Mozilla and a seasoned startup founder, joins The CTO Show with Mehmet to share a candid look into the evolution of building products—from the early days of AI to today’s GenAI-fueled solo founder wave. We dive into what vibe coding means, how big companies like Mozilla are tackling zero-to-one innovation, and why most startups fail—not because of the idea, but because the founders get tired.
🚀 Key Takeaways
• Most startups fail in the messy middle, not the beginning or end
• AI is shifting us from “doing the work” to “instructing the machine”
• Vibe coding is enabling faster product iteration—but it still needs human judgment
• Large companies often struggle with zero-to-one because of talent structure, risk aversion, and short conviction windows
• Solo founders can thrive—if they manage their energy and support systems
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🎯 What You’ll Learn
• How Raj defines product-market fit in the GenAI era
• The new role of engineers and creators in the age of AI
• How to build new products inside legacy organizations
• When and how to pivot—without burning out
• Why AI shouldn’t be the pitch—it should be the enabler
👤 About the Guest
Raj is the VP of Product at Mozilla, leading new 0 to 1 product initiatives. He joined Mozilla in 2022 via the acquisition of his startup, Pulse, which developed AI meeting summarization models.
Previously, Raj has been a repeat consumer-focused startup founder. He was Co-Founder and CEO of Tempo AI, a smart calendar acquired by Salesforce in 2015. He also co-founded AllTheCooks, which became the largest recipe community on Android before its acquisition by Cookpad. Earlier in his career, he served as VP of Business Development at Skyfire, a mobile browser acquired by Opera. Prior to this, Raj co-founded and exited startups in the ringtone, live video and college dating categories.
Episode Highlights (Timestamps)
00:00 – Intro and Raj’s journey from founder to Mozilla
03:00 – Pattern recognition and founder gut-checks
06:15 – Why most startups are stuck in the messy middle
08:45 – Evolution of AI: from OpenCV to GenAI
11:20 – Vibe coding and the shift in creative workflows
13:40 – The 95% AI accuracy rule and human-in-the-loop design
16:00 – AI’s impact on growth hacking and customer acquisition
17:40 – Can solo founders really build unicorns?
20:00 – Trillion-dollar ambitions vs. billion-dollar thinking
21:30 – Building zero-to-one products inside Mozilla
25:00 – Why large companies struggle with innovation
29:00 – Culture, incentives, and the “conviction window”
33:00 – Pivoting: when to stick, when to switch
36:00 – The solo founder dilemma and founder loneliness
41:00 – Consumer AI: solving problems vs. chasing hype
44:00 – Final advice: execute your idea—don’t just think about it