The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch 20VC: Why 90% of Founders Build Startups Wrong | Why AI Growth Rates are Sustainable & Remote Work is BS and the AI Talent War | Competing with Brett Taylor and Sierra: Who Wins the Customer Service War with Jesse Zhang, Decagon
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Sep 19, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Jesse Zhang, Co-founder and CEO of Decagon, shares insights from his journey in building a successful AI customer experience platform after a stint at Google and founding Loki. He boldly claims that 90% of founders mismanage their startups and emphasizes the importance of hands-on discovery. Jesse also critiques remote work, highlights AI's sustainable growth rates, and compares competition among AI firms, stressing that multiple major players can thrive in this space. Buckle up for an insightful ride!
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Early Exit Shaped Founder Confidence
- Jesse sold his first company, Loki, early after many wrong turns and learning through failure.
- That exit made him bolder and more willing to swing for larger ideas the second time around.
Find Markets By Executing Discovery
- Do deep customer discovery by asking how much they'd pay and why to surface real demand.
- Use execution to find markets rather than overthinking market selection up front.
AI-Native Lets Business Users Build
- AI-native products let non-technical users build and iterate via natural language.
- This democratization invalidates much legacy configuration and levels the playing field for startups.