The Logan Bartlett Show
EP 69: Emmett Shear (Co-Founder, Twitch). Behind-The-Scenes stories from Twitch's growth to streaming leader
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Prioritizing features based on streamer needs was crucial for Twitch's success.
- Granting CEOs autonomy allows them to lead companies independently and maintain unique identities.
- Recognizing the value of the streamer community was key to Twitch's growth and engagement.
- Effective leadership requires understanding the distinct skills needed for managing individuals, teams, and higher levels of leadership.
- Transparency and decision-making in larger organizations require mechanisms for input at the right time.
Deep dives
Importance of prioritizing features based on streamers' needs
One of the key insights presented in the podcast is the importance of prioritizing features based on the needs of streamers. The co-founder of Twitch highlights that by focusing on streamers' desires for fame, love, and money, they were able to allocate resources effectively. This approach ensured that features and improvements were developed to support streamers in these areas, ultimately making Twitch the best platform for them.
The value of letting CEOs be CEOs
Another important point discussed in the podcast is the value of giving CEOs autonomy and allowing them to lead their companies. The podcast host highlights that Amazon, unlike many other big tech companies, actually lets CEOs run their acquired companies independently. This autonomy and trust given to the CEO allows them to make decisions, prioritize resources, and maintain the company's unique identity and culture.
The significance of focusing on the streamer community
The podcast emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique value of the streamer community on Twitch. By recognizing that streamers are the central figures and the driving force behind Twitch's success, the co-founder explains how the company prioritized building a product specifically for streamers. Twitch's focus on supporting and empowering streamers allowed them to foster a strong and engaged community that set them apart from competitors.
The evolving role of a manager
The podcast delves into the evolution of management skills. It highlights the initial challenges faced by the co-founder in his early days as a manager and his subsequent growth and learning. The co-founder emphasizes that becoming a good manager is a continuous process of acquiring and honing skills. He notes that managing individuals, teams of managers, and higher levels of leadership require distinct sets of skills and understanding the nuances of each level is crucial for effective leadership.
The importance of balancing transparency and decision-making in organizations
In larger organizations, transparency and decision-making become more complex. While transparency is often cited as an important value, it's crucial to understand that what people often mean is actually having a voice and input in decision-making. However, in larger organizations, it is not feasible for everyone to have a voice on every decision. Synchronization becomes more challenging, and creating mechanisms for the right people to have input at the right time becomes essential. Shard decision-making, similar to sharding in programming, is a metaphor often used to describe this process, where decisions are divided among different groups who own the responsibility for specific aspects without extensive communication between them.
Identifying and leveraging personal strengths for sustainable success
Discovering your areas of strength and focusing on tasks that align with your skills and interests is key for sustainable success. While it is possible to learn and excel at nearly any skill, it is essential to consider the enjoyment and energy levels associated with these tasks. Focusing on sustainable work patterns and managing roles that you may not inherently enjoy can help maintain consistent quality and performance. By recognizing your limitations and seeking support from others, such as delegating tasks that drain your energy or partnering with individuals who possess complementary strengths, you can create a more productive environment that ultimately benefits both you and the organization.
Balancing autonomy and accountability in decision-making
In a corporate setting, empowering employees with autonomy in decision-making is crucial. By encouraging employees to provide recommendations rather than seeking permission, companies can delegate both authority and accountability for the results of those decisions. However, it is important to differentiate between decisions that require higher-level approval, often involving risks and liabilities, and those that can be managed at a lower level. While some decisions necessitate input from higher-level management, encouraging autonomous decision-making can empower employees and foster a culture of ownership and accountability.
The iterative nature of product development and the importance of customer understanding
Product development is an iterative process that requires ongoing dialogue with customers and a deep understanding of their needs and pain points. Engaging in meaningful conversations and attentively listening to customers can help inform product design decisions. It is crucial to avoid delegating product design to customers and instead leverage their insights to inform and guide the design process. Additionally, validating ideas with customers should not be seen as changing the quality or impact of an idea. The value of talking to customers lies in understanding their experiences and using this knowledge to refine and improve product features rather than seeking validation for a preconceived idea.
The potential dangers of advanced AI and the need for responsible development
The podcast episode discusses the potential dangers of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and emphasizes the need for responsible development. The speaker highlights the risk of AI leading to human extinction and the potential destruction of all value in the light cone. They compare it to a universe-destroying bomb that surpasses the severity of global warming. The speaker emphasizes the importance of taking this issue seriously and engaging in international cooperation to establish measures that limit the power and scope of AI. They advocate for creating a science of AI to better understand and mitigate the risks associated with developing super intelligent AI.
The effects of income distribution and the flattening of the income curve
The episode also explores the topic of income distribution and the flattening of the income curve. It presents a graph showing how household income distribution has shifted over the years, with more households making over $200,000 per year. The graph also indicates a flattening of the income distribution, where there is no longer a defined norm or mode income for most people. The speaker reflects on the implications of this distribution, highlighting the challenges it poses in terms of inequality and the sense of being left behind. They stress the importance of addressing issues like affordable housing and education to create a more balanced society.
Emmett Shear is the co-founder of Twitch, one of the most influential platforms in recent history. From its humble beginnings as a gaming streaming platform to becoming a cultural phenomenon, Twitch has redefined the way we connect, entertain, and build communities online.
The episode is packed with stories from Emmett’s 16-year tenure as CEO and his journey to founding the company. Emmett shares product frameworks he used to grow and retain streamers, how he learned to not suck at management, and why he thinks remote is bad for most tech start-ups. Emmett also shares insights from being part of the very first batch of YC-founded startups in 2005 alongside Sam Altman and Paul Graham. Finally, Emmett shares what he’s most scared about when it comes to AI.
(0:00) Intro
(1:46) Welcome Emmett Shear
(8:03) Products leading to Twitch
(18:19) Justin.tv
(28:10) Getting growth
(32:40) Cultivating the community for the streamer
(39:02) Google acquihire
(47:05) Declining value to more money
(54:16) Changes in levels of abstraction
(1:00:13) Management lessons
(1:08:52) Remote work debate
(1:17:49) Mentors and coaching
(1:28:24) Ambitions of the founder
(1:36:53) Back to YC
(1:44:45) AI Concerns
(2:03:28) Being a techno optimist
(2:17:44) Turning 40
Mixed and edited: Justin Hrabovsky
Produced: Rashad Assir
Executive Producer: Josh Machiz
Music: Griff Lawson
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About the Show
Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.
Executive Producer: Rashad Assir
Producer: Leah Clapper
Mixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky
Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA
🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1
Follow on Socials
📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow
📱 X - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow
🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshow
About the Show
Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode of The Logan Bartlett Show, we sit down with the people behind today’s most important startups and extract the tactics, lessons, and frameworks they’ve learned the hard way. Conversations span hiring to GTM, product, growth, fundraising and everything in between - collectively forming the ultimate playbook to make you a better CEO, investor or board member.
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