My First Million Silicon Valley OG shares crazy stories from Zynga early days + 3 business ideas
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Feb 19, 2025 
Siqi Chen, founder of Runway.com and former Zynga and Postmates executive, shares wild stories from Zynga's early days, including chaotic meetings and navigating competitive challenges. He dives into the balance of data and creativity in gaming innovation and touches on the controversies of academic publishing and rare diseases. Siqi also discusses valuable lessons from a 'Touchy Feely' Stanford class on emotional connections, and he introduces three unique business ideas inspired by his tech journey, offering listeners a mix of humor and insight.
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Zynga's Ninja
- Siqi Chen joined Zynga as a Director of Product after his company was acquired.
- A month later, his boss, Eric Schienmeyer, disappeared to become a ninja.
Zynga's Growth Strategy
- Zynga hired investment bankers as product managers, prioritizing growth metrics.
- Mark Pincus saw competitors as free R&D, confidently copying and scaling their innovations.
Slide Meeting
- Siqi Chen recounts a bizarre meeting with Slide's founders, Max Levchin and Keith Rabois.
- They discussed the upcoming recession, buying cheap companies, and their body fat percentages.