This Week in Startups

Zillow CEO Rich Barton on branding, building in provocative industries, and more! | E1791

Aug 11, 2023

Zillow CEO Rich Barton talks about creating evocative brands like Zillow and Expedia, lessons from Bill Gates, tech management evolution, and branding strategies. Discusses empowering employees, iconic company names, major layoffs, and the importance of tension in storytelling.

01:21:00

Creator website

Episode guests

Rich Barton

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Zillow's success stemmed from prioritizing consumer experience, focusing on delighting customers over suppliers.

Zillow faced resistance from entrenched real estate players trying to maintain control of the market's information.

The success of tech visionaries like Gates lies in a deep passion for products and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

Deep dives

Building Consumer Trust through Word-of-Mouth and Product Delight

Zillow's success stemmed from prioritizing consumer experience, focusing on delighting customers over suppliers. By engaging with demand-side users, Zillow created compelling products like the Zestimate pre-smartphone era, fostering word-of-mouth marketing and consumer trust. Prioritizing consumer satisfaction as the North Star strategy led to Zillow's rise.

Introduction

2min

Disrupting Real Estate with Provocative Estimates and AI

11min

Product Velocity and Branding in Startups: Strategies and Insights

3min

Navigating Layoffs and Organizational Culture Evolution

11min

Importance of Using a Business Phone Number for Startups and the Benefits of Open Phone App

2min

Navigating Legal Advice for Startups and Innovation

7min

Exploring Entertainment in Trading, Fitbot's Custom Workouts, and Challenges in Real Estate Innovation

4min

Navigating Legacy Industries with Disruptive Technology

9min

Innovative Individuals and Tech Culture Evolution

20min

10.

The Evolving Landscape of Real Estate Post-COVID

10min

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Crowdbotics. Great ideas can change the world, and Crowdbotics is the fastest way to turn those ideas into code. Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist

OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at openphone.com/twist

Fitbod. Tired of doing the same workouts at the gym? Fitbod will build you personalized workouts that help you progress with every set. Get 25% off your subscription or try out the app for FREE when you sign up now at fitbod.me/TWIST.

Today’s show:

Rich Barton joins Jason to give a masterclass on his thought process behind creating evocative top-tier brands like Zillow, Expedia, and Glassdoor. (22:02) Rich also discusses the lessons he learned from Bill Gates during his time at Microsoft (49:22), how tech management has evolved (57:04), and more!

Rich's blog on branding: https://www.hopperanddropper.com/syllables-scrabble-letters-and-picking-brand-names

Time stamps:

(0:00) Zillow CEO Rich Barton joins Jason

(1:58) The creation of Zillow’s Zestimate

(7:03) “Tension and Importance” and empowering people in the workplace

(13:24) Crowdbotics - Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist

(14:53) Branding and creating iconic company names

(16:53) Navigating major layoffs

(22:02) Back to building top-tier brands, “What got us here, won’t get us there”

(27:54) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist

(29:25) Steering the complex dynamics of startup-attorney interactions

(33:22) Defying convention to create stellar products and the effects digital currency