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20VC: Why AI Will Lead to Thousands of Billionaires and Elon Musk's, Will TikTok Be Banned and How Facebook Should Be Investing in AI & Why Startups Have Become Too Soft; We Need a Spiritual Reform with Amjad Masad, Founder & CEO @ Replit

Mar 10, 2023

Amjad Masad, Founder and CEO of Replit, shares his journey from a rebellious child in Iran to a tech innovator in Silicon Valley. He passionately believes that AI will create an unprecedented number of billionaires, potentially giving rise to more visionaries like Elon Musk. Amjad discusses the looming challenge of wealth inequality, the potential ban on TikTok, and how AI will change the landscape of employment, predicting that one engineer will eventually replicate the work of 100. His insights spark a vital conversation about the future of tech and society.

45:54

Creator website

Episode guests

Amjad Masad

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Early Business Acumen

00:55

be so dedicated you might lose your loved ones

00:38

Provocative Phrasing of Values

01:58

The Future of Wealth Inequality

01:25

Intro

3min

Embracing Unconventional Roots

14min

Navigating Talent and Technology in Startups

15min

AI as an Equalizer: Bridging Gaps in Knowledge and Education

2min

Geopolitical Tensions and Tech Regulation

4min

Future Visions and Personal Reflections

4min

Empowering Startups with Essential Tools and Innovations

3min

Amjad Masad is the Founder and CEO @ Replit, whose mission is to bring the next billion software creators online. With Replit, Amjad has raised over $100M from the likes of Peter Thiel, a16z, Coatue and Addition, to name a few. Before founding Replit, Amjad was a tech lead on the JavaScript infrastructure team at Facebook. Before Facebook, Amjad was #1 employee at Codecademy.

In Today's Episode with Amjad Masad We Discuss:

1.) From Troublemaker Child in Iran to Silicon Valley Founder:

How did Amjad make his way into the world of tech and Silicon Valley having grown up as a misbehaving child in Iran?
In what ways did Amjad show early signs of exceptionalism? Why does he always look for this in people he is hiring for Replit?
What does Amjad know now that he wishes he had known when he started Replit?

2.) The Future: A New World with AI at the Centre:

Why does Amjad believe we will see thousands of billionaires created from the innovation in AI?
Why does Amjad believe AI will lead to 100 more Elon Musks?
If Amjad were CEO of Facebook, what would he do? Why and how do they have to invest in AI?
Will TikTok be banned in the US? How will this be resolved?
Why does Amjad believe that 300 people control the future of AI? Is that not concerning?

3.) The Future of Society, Employment and Wages:

Why does Amjad believe in 10 years, 1 engineer will be able to do what 100 do today?
What will happen to the real wages of engineers?
How does Amjad see the inclusion of universal basic income in the future?
Is Amjad concerned about societal and civil unrest with wealth disparity widening further?

4.) Building the Replit Army:

Why does Amjad believe that so many in tech have gotten too soft in the last few years?
Why does Amjad release a "Why You Should Not Join Replit" page and share it with all candidates?
How can a founder know if they have good company values or not?
Why does Amjad feel we need a spiritual reform in company building? Why are startups and religion the same?

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