No Reset Button: Reinventing Amplitude in a Post-AI World (Spenser Skates)
Apr 21, 2025
auto_awesome
In this engaging discussion, Spenser Skates, CEO and co-founder of Amplitude, shares insights on navigating the evolving landscape of AI and analytics. He reflects on the challenges of integrating advanced technologies with a legacy codebase while emphasizing the importance of maintaining Amplitude's core strengths. Skates discusses the risks and rewards of taking the company public and shares personal anecdotes about leadership transitions and work-life balance. His thoughts on grit and the need for talent in AI offer valuable perspectives for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Innovation is the key driver for business growth, allowing Amplitude to maintain its competitive edge in a saturated market.
Transitioning from founder to corporate executive necessitates a shift in leadership style, balancing hands-on involvement with broader managerial responsibilities.
Establishing insulated teams within larger organizations promotes sustained innovation, enabling focused exploration of breakthrough projects free from organizational distractions.
Deep dives
The Role of Innovation in Business Growth
Innovation is emphasized as the primary engine for long-term growth in business. The speaker highlights how Amplitude has cultivated a competitive advantage through consistent innovation, enabling it to stand out in a saturated market. As a CEO, an effective strategy involves not just leading but also inspiring teams to innovate constantly. This mindset is vital, as it facilitates an organization’s ability to respond swiftly to market changes and emerging technologies.
Navigating the Challenges of Leadership
Transitioning from a founder to a corporate executive alters the leadership approach significantly. Initially, a founder leads from the front, being deeply involved in every aspect of the company. However, as businesses grow, executives must adopt a more managerial perspective, where they balance various demands and cultivate team success. This shift can be difficult, as it may feel like moving away from the hands-on approach that characterized their earlier roles.
The Importance of Data in the Era of AI
The potential for artificial intelligence in data analysis is a key opportunity that remains largely untapped in the analytics space. The nuance lies in the fact that unlike other AI solutions reliant on open-source datasets, Amplitude has access to vast user data that competitors may lack. This data advantage positions Amplitude well to develop innovative AI-driven solutions tailored for user behavior analysis. However, the speaker also acknowledges the looming threat of new entrants leveraging advanced technology to disrupt established players.
Creating a Sustainable Innovation Environment
A critical aspect of fostering innovation in larger organizations involves establishing insulated teams tasked with exploring new projects without distractions. This setup allows dedicated groups to focus on breakthrough initiatives while minimizing interference from other departments. Insulating these teams from the broader organizational noise ensures that they can rapidly iterate on their projects. This strategy reflects the importance of maintaining a startup-like culture within a growing company to drive sustainable innovation.
Balancing Personal and Professional Growth
The discussion also touches upon the personal sacrifices made during the entrepreneurial journey, especially regarding social relationships and health. Acknowledging the strain that relentless work can place on friendships and well-being, the speaker stresses the value of maintaining a balanced life as a long-term strategy. The evolution from a singular focus on work to accommodating personal life elements is crucial for sustaining success in the long run. This evolution enables leaders to foster better relationships while preserving their dedication to their company's mission.
Amplitude helped define the modern analytics stack, powering digital products with deep behavioral insights. But in a world shifting toward agentic interfaces and vertically integrated AI, even a category leader has to evolve.
In this episode, CEO Spenser Skates shares how he’s rethinking AI within the constraints of a 13-year-old codebase, why analytics remains Amplitude’s competitive edge—and why taking the company public early was a risk worth taking.
Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 00:43 Introduction 01:26 AI is still very early 05:48 The urgency of building from the ground up 08:49 Bringing in new blood 11:23 Higher valuations and going public 15:00 Who’s leading who 18:39 Markets being open and closed 21:14 Being the incumbent in AI 24:40 Slow innovation 31:43 The ultimate founder 37:06 Things willing to relinquish 44:04 Being the person I want to be 46:41 Between family and work 50:08 Becoming the person you hate 55:16 Chief general, chief justice, chief priest 1:02:56 Tired founders 1:04:32 Missing out 1:14:51 Who Amplitude is hiring 1:15:41 What Spenser means to Spenser 1:16:54 Outro
Mentioned in this episode: OpenAI ChatGPT, Command AI, Oracle Corporation, Anthropic Claude, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Rippling, Stripe, Meta Platforms, Inc., Mark Zuckerberg, Figma, Canva, Peter Thiel, Anne Lee Skates, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Michael Jordan
