Gradient Dissent: Conversations on AI The CEO Behind the Fastest-Growing AI Inference Company | Tuhin Srivastava
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Nov 18, 2025 Tuhin Srivastava, CEO and founder of Baseten, shares insights from his journey in the AI inference space. He discusses the shift from small model serving to focusing on large model production needs, influenced by market shifts like ChatGPT. Tuhin explains the importance of dedicated deployments for custom models, along with optimizing runtime performance. He also highlights challenges in adopting new inference chips and the need for open models over closed APIs. The conversation emphasizes inference's critical role in embedding AI into applications at scale.
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Long Road Before Breakout
- Tuhin founded BaseTen in 2019 and lived through years of slow progress before product-market fit arrived.
- They kept the company small and refocused rather than pivoting, which preserved agility until the market shifted.
Don't Scale Prematurely
- Avoid scaling too quickly; keep company weight low so you can adapt when markets shift.
- Stay small enough to refocus without bureaucratic drag until product-market fit is clear.
Burn Boats To Recenter
- Kill underperforming product lines quickly and reallocate resources toward the core opportunity.
- It's acceptable to throw away work if it lets you pursue a bigger, clearer market.