Y Combinator Startup Podcast #13 - Scaling Growth - Gustaf Alstromer, Ed Baker, and Josh Elman
Jun 23, 2017
In this engaging discussion, Ed Baker, an experienced growth leader from Facebook and Uber, and Gustaf Alstromer, a Y Combinator partner and former growth head at Airbnb, dive into the art of scaling growth for tech companies. They share fascinating insights on early viral tactics, like the Zodiac Photo Album, and the complexities of mobile growth. The duo also discusses the importance of a North Star metric, localized growth strategies, and the balance between paid and organic channels. Expect surprising experiment stories and practical wisdom for aspiring entrepreneurs!
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One-Click Viral Tagging Explosion
- Ed built a Zodiac Photo Album app that tagged hundreds of friends with one click and exploded virally.
- Facebook changed rules and shut the approach down after tens of millions were tagged in 24 hours.
First‑Open Friend List Is Critical
- At Voxer Gustaf optimized first‑open friend lists by matching phone numbers to address books to boost activation.
- He prioritized showing many contacts on first open because users wouldn't use the app without friends visible.
Growth Becomes A Company‑Wide Mindset
- Growth teams originally centralized metric-driven decisions and evangelized experimentation and A/B testing.
- Great companies now spread that data‑driven, experimental mindset across product teams rather than isolating it.