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The Incredible Double Interview: Superhuman and Robinhood | E2090

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Feb 27, 2025

In this discussion, Rahul Vohra, CEO of Superhuman, and Vlad Tenev, CEO of Robinhood, share their entrepreneurial journeys. They delve into the transformative role of AI in Superhuman, highlighting features like auto-summarizing emails. Vlad recounts the disruptive rise of Robinhood in the financial sector. Both guests emphasize the importance of innovative design and user experience in their products. Listeners also get insights into strategies for targeting users, tackling spam, and navigating investment trends in today's market.

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ANECDOTE

Charging Investors

Rahul Vohra insisted on charging Jason Calacanis for Superhuman, even as an early investor.
This demonstrated commitment to the product's value and ensured honest feedback.

insights

INSIGHT

Execution Matters

Executing obvious ideas well is crucial.
Rahul Vohra's focus on refined features and understanding customer needs sets Superhuman apart.

volunteer_activism

ADVICE

Strategy on a Slide

Define your target audience, competitive advantages, and hypotheses early on.
Rahul Vohra's Series C deck from 2017 still guides Superhuman's strategy today.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

The Evolution of AI in Superhuman Email Productivity

04:39 • 5min

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Finding Developers Made Easy with Lemon.io

10:07 • 2min

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Creating Joy Through Design

11:42 • 9min

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Connecting Innovators and Essential Business Setup

20:21 • 2min

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Revolutionizing Email for Productivity

22:33 • 5min

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AI Evolution and Productivity Tools

27:05 • 11min

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Navigating Product Design and Investment Strategies

38:21 • 25min

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Strategies for Startup Growth

01:03:26 • 22min

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Navigating the Future of Cryptocurrency and Startups

01:25:39 • 4min

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Investment Trends and Liquidity in Startups

01:29:58 • 4min

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The Need for Investment Education and Risk Disclosures

01:34:04 • 5min

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Working Backwards

Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon

Colin Bryar

Bill Carr

Working Backwards provides a detailed look at Amazon's approach to culture, leadership, and innovation. The book is written by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr, who collectively have 27 years of experience at Amazon. It outlines the company's 14 leadership principles and how they are applied in practice, focusing on customer obsession, long-term thinking, and operational excellence. The book is divided into two parts: the first part explains the leadership principles and practices, while the second part includes case studies on the development of products like Kindle, Amazon Prime, and Amazon Web Services. The authors provide practical steps and insights that can be applied to any business, regardless of size or industry[2][4][5].

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Rick Rubin

In 'The Creative Act: A Way of Being,' Rick Rubin shares his insights on creativity, gathered from his extensive career in the music industry. The book is not limited to musicians but is designed for anyone interested in creative processes. Rubin discusses the concept of 'Source,' a metaphysical idea representing the infinite and constant flow of creative ideas and inspiration. He advocates for a way of being that incorporates creativity into all aspects of life, emphasizing the importance of awareness, noticing, and practicing mindfulness. The book is structured around 78 areas of thought on creativity, making it a versatile and inspiring read that can be revisited multiple times for new insights.

Today’s show: Jason interviews Rahul Vohra, CEO and founder of Superhuman, and Vlad Tenev, CEO and co-founder of Robinhood. This is a packed episode featuring founder tips, fun stories about how Superhuman and Robinhood got their start and much more!

Timestamps:

(0:00) Episode teaser(2:13) Product market fit and founder journeys(3:25) Jason's investment in Superhuman and market positioning(5:14) AI's role and features in Superhuman(10:25) Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(14:37) Targeting users and competitive advantages(22:23) Evolution and new features of Superhuman

(20:52) Northwest Registered Agent. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(24:37) Tackling spam with Superhuman's AI

(27:05) Custom auto labels and email classification

(29:47) Vapi. Go to Vapi.ai and use code Twist200 to get $200 in credits

(32:03) Superhuman's auto reminders and drafts

(34:14) Vlad Tenev and the origins of Robinhood

(39:31) Product design philosophies of Robinhood and Superhuman

(49:29) Scaling design principles and investment decisions(

52:31) Subjectivity in product design

(55:14) Customer feedback in product development

(1:00:00) Superhuman's subscription model and customer acquisition

(1:05:11) PR strategies and news hijacking

(1:12:06) Investment experiences with Robinhood

(1:13:35) Navigating company valuation fluctuations

(1:15:03) Influences on Vlad Tenev and new Robinhood desktop product

(1:22:02) Company resilience and employee reorganization

(1:25:52) Crypto regulation and startup mentality

(1:30:05) Investment trends among Robinhood users

(1:31:12) Retail benefits for startups and capital raising challenges

(1:34:04) Accreditation for private investing and solutions

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Links from this episode:

Check out Superhuman: https://superhuman.com/

Check out Superhuman’s blog post that details all of the new features Rahul went over in the demo: https://blog.superhuman.com/the-next-superhuman-ai/.

Check out Robinhood Legend: https://robinhood.com/us/en/legend/

Article “How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product Market Fit”: https://review.firstround.com/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit/

Check out Rick Rubin’s book: https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886

Article on Bezos and Washington Post: https://www.newsweek.com/bezos-makes-big-change-washington-post-opinion-focus-endorsed-musk-2036618

Media Bias Chart: https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-chart

Check out “Working Backwards” book about Amazon insights: https://www.amazon.ca/Working-Backwards-Insights-Stories-Secrets/dp/1250267595

Check out Rahul’s article on acquisition: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rip-mailbox-founders-how-stop-worrying-love-being-acquired-vohra/

Follow Rahul:

X: https://x.com/rahulvohra

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulvohra/

Follow Vlad:

X: https://x.com/vladtenev

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlad-tenev-7037591b/

Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Thank you to our partners:

(10:25) Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(20:52) Northwest Registered Agent. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(29:47) Vapi. Go to Vapi.ai and use code Twist200 to get $200 in credits

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