The Cloudcast

Building Customer-First Products

May 14, 2025

Siqi Chen, CEO & CFO of Runway and former NASA developer, shares his journey from coding rockets to shaping financial technology. He emphasizes the importance of customer-centric product design over traditional methods. Siqi discusses the transformative potential of generative AI in finance and its impact on product development. He also highlights how blending technical and business insights can nurture innovation and enhance decision-making. Tune in for insights on navigating the complexities of AI and achieving product-market fit!

26:30

Episode guests

Siqi Chen

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Siqi Chen emphasizes that successful product development requires a continuous understanding of customer needs and iterative refinements based on feedback.

The potential of AI in business is vast, but human oversight remains crucial for effective decision-making and maintaining clarity in complex situations.

Deep dives

Cost-Effective Microsoft Support

Utilizing third-party Microsoft Enterprise support can significantly reduce IT budgets for enterprises, with cost savings ranging from 30 to 50% compared to Microsoft’s Unified Support. Many organizations currently feel the pressure of overspending on official support services, prompting them to seek alternative solutions. Companies like U.S. Cloud have emerged as leaders in this arena, providing faster response times without the delays associated with offshoring. With a commitment to quality support, these alternatives are proven by their partnerships with numerous Fortune 500 companies.

Intro

2min

From NASA to Startup: A Journey of Innovation

4min

Transformative Impact of Generative AI

13min

The Journey to Product-Market Fit: Building Success Over Time

4min

Navigating Complexity: AI in Finance and Human Judgment

4min

Siqi Chen (@blader, CEO/CFO @Runwayco), talks about his journey from JPL developer to Founder of a financial planning and analysis (FP&A) startup. We focus on how to build products that customers crave and how a customer-centric view differs from traditional product management.

SHOW: 923

SHOW TRANSCRIPT: The Cloudcast #923 Transcript

SHOW VIDEO: https://youtube.com/@TheCloudcastNET

CLOUD NEWS OF THE WEEK: http://bit.ly/cloudcast-cnotw

NEW TO CLOUD? CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCAST: "CLOUDCAST BASICS"

SPONSORS:

Cut Enterprise IT Support Costs by 30-50% with US Cloud

SHOW NOTES:

Topic 1 - Welcome to the show, Siqi. First, your combination of technical and business/financial background is fascinating. How did you go from coding at NASA to Head of Product at Zynga to CEO/CFO for a finance platform startup? Give everyone a quick introduction.

Topic 2 - One thing I’ve noticed as a trend in your background is the core concept of building. What has been your philosophy in building products? How do you build products that customers demand?

Topic 3 - Let’s talk about AI and AGI for a moment. We hear all the time how disruptive this will be. What are your thoughts here, and how do we develop both adaptability and resiliency to new technologies?

Topic 4 - Let’s talk FP&A (financial planning & analysis). Our core listeners out there tend to skew more towards the tech and infrastructure side, but a core theme of this show is always to be learning as much of the business as possible to apply those concepts. As someone with a background in both worlds, plus now running an FP&A startup, what do you wish folks on the technical side of the house knew more about to make their jobs easier?

Topic 5 - We posted a link in the show notes for a video you did on the “overnight success” of Runway. It was a good representation and origin story of how something can go viral with the right mindset and product-market fit. Tell everyone about that as Runway approaches 5 years now.

Topic 6 - What is your biggest challenge in the FP&A space today? Is it AI? We’ve seen a lot of AI disruption in coding, legal, and other areas requiring deep data pool insights. Is this any different?

FEEDBACK?