a16z Podcast

Kickstarting Network Effects

23 snips
Dec 6, 2021
Join Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, Paul Davison, co-founder of Clubhouse, and Andrew Chen, a network effects expert, as they dive into the essence of community building. They discuss how to kickstart network effects and the significance of a 'minimum viable community.' The trio tackles the ethics of user engagement strategies, including 'flintstoning.' They explore the creator-first philosophy, and how Web3 is reshaping the entrepreneur landscape, all while keeping user engagement authentic and meaningful.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Network Effects Defined

  • Network effects make a product more useful as more users join.
  • This is powerful for large tech companies but challenging for startups.
ANECDOTE

Reddit's Early Days

  • Alexis Ohanian leveraged an existing PHPBB forum to onboard early Reddit users.
  • He also admitted to faking user activity to create initial engagement.
ANECDOTE

Clubhouse's Single Room Start

  • Clubhouse focused on building a dense single-room experience initially.
  • Paul Davison prioritized direct user interaction, even greeting new users personally.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app