Code Story: Insights from Startup Tech Leaders S11 Bonus: Ben Lerner, Espresso AI
Jul 24, 2025
Ben Lerner, Co-founder and CEO of Espresso AI and former Google and DeepMind engineer, shares his journey in the tech world. He reveals how large language models significantly enhance code understanding and their application in optimizing data workloads. Discussing the founding of Espresso AI, he emphasizes rapid product development and the critical role of customer success. He also touches on the importance of effective tech teams and strategic communication in fostering innovation and ensuring user-friendly experiences.
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Espresso AI Saves Big Money
- Ben Lerner shares how Espresso AI saves customers up to 70-80% on their Snowflake bills automatically.
- This results in substantial six or seven figure savings while maintaining performance benefits.
Validate Early, Ship Quickly
- Validate your product idea early by talking with customers and confirming demand before coding.
- Ship something helpful quickly to avoid wasting time on untested ideas or over-engineering.
Hire Pragmatic Engineers
- Hire senior engineers tired of excessive meetings who want to write code and ship products quickly.
- Former founders with technical skills looking to avoid over-engineering make great team members.