The IO Podcast: Investor + Operator

Here's Why Shopify Will Be A 100 Year Company | Kaz Nejatian, Shopify COO & Former YC Founder | Episode 12

Jul 10, 2024

Kaz Nejatian, COO of Shopify, shares his journey from Iran to Canada, his tech passion, and why Shopify ditched meetings. Topics include product culture, hiring unique talent, marriage's career benefits, and the power of prayer for CEOs.

01:07:03

Creator website

Episode guests

Kaz Nejatian

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Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Shopify aims to be a 100-year company by fostering a unique culture that prioritizes user-centric product development.

Kaz Nejatian advocates for original thinking and deep problem-solving over conformity to traditional approaches in tech companies.

Kaz stresses the importance of cross-disciplinary knowledge to drive innovation and create transformative ideas in product development.

Deep dives

Kaz emphasizes the importance of working at a company that allows creating a dent in the universe, focusing on making a positive impact and aligning personal life with work goals

Kaz values the significance of working at a company, like Shopify, that enables individuals to make a lasting impact on the world, emphasizing the need to optimize life for creating a substantial dent in the universe. He discusses the importance of ensuring that personal and work ambitions align, highlighting the value of building a career that revolves around generating a meaningful impact and living with purpose.

The Role of Meetings in Modern Communication

02:48

Intro

5min

Cultural Upbringing, Transition to Tech, and Internet Evolution

5min

The Evolution of Product and Engineering Leaders

27min

Adapting to Remote Work and Navigating Industry Intersections

6min

The Benefits of Marriage and Parenthood

7min

Exploring the Benefits of Prayer and Meditation for Work-Related Stress

2min

Exploration of Admired Investors and Capital Allocation Strategies

2min

Admiration for Walt Disney and Thomas Edison, Shopify's Impact, and Innovating at Shopify

13min

How far would you travel for a good conversation? For hosts Tyler Hogge and Sterling Snow it was a no brainer to fly 2000 miles to talk with Kaz Nejatian, the COO of Shopify in their Toronto HQ.

Kaz is a fascinating mind in tech and an unconventional thinker shaping the the product culture of Shopify. He shares his story of growing up in Iran, experiencing the Iran-Iraq war, and eventually immigrating to Canada at age 12. In Canada, Kaz gets even deeper into his fascination with computers and goes onto found a YC company, run a product line at Meta and now acts as the COO and Product Evangelist at multi-billion dollar company Shopify.

Tyler and Sterling find out why Shopify employees have no meetings, how big tech companies are doing product wrong, and why Shopify's unique culture will create a 100 year company that just keeps getting bigger.

Chapters:

01:50 - Kaz's Childhood in Iran and Fleeing to Canada

06:49 - Hot Takes on Current Protests on College Campuses

07:55 - Early Exposure To Computers and Path To Tech

11:17 - The Best Product Managers Are Weird People

13:30 - "I Cannot Take An Average Person And Train Them To Be A PM"

21:25 - How Shopify Is Different Than Other Big Companies

31:00 - How Kaz Killed Meetings At Shopify

37:30 - Write Code And Talk To Users, Do That Over And Over Again

43:39 - Why Getting Married Will Be Your Best Career Accelerant

50:00 - Wrap Up questions

57:25 - Tyler & Sterling's Recap

_________________________

Connect With Kaz

https://x.com/canadakaz

Kaz@shopify.com

Connect With Tyler & Sterling

https://x.com/thogge

https://x.com/sterlingmsnow

Follow The I/O Podcast (New Episodes Monthly)

https://x.com/IO__podcast

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCayuY0VO95kQTUXJvh9T0oQ

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-investor-operator-io-podcast/id1678642609

https://open.spotify.com/show/0J92LTLgpHe8C0CzEaCBDG

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The IO Podcast: Investor + Operator

Here's Why Shopify Will Be A 100 Year Company | Kaz Nejatian, Shopify COO & Former YC Founder | Episode 12

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Kaz emphasizes the importance of working at a company that allows creating a dent in the universe, focusing on making a positive impact and aligning personal life with work goals

Kaz prioritizes original thinking, advocating for minial use of processes, and encourages deeper problem-solving

Kaz values focused expertise, leveraging cross-disciplinary knowledge to drive innovation and create connections between disparate ideas

Kaz's approach to product management emphasizes user-centric focus, judgment-driven decision-making, and prioritizing empathy over traditional stakeholder management

Kaz advocates for marrying work ambitions with personal goals, seeking to optimize life for long - term impact and satisfaction, resonating with his belief in making a dent in the universe

The Role of Meetings in Modern Communication

Get the Snipd
podcast app

AI-powered
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Discover
highlights

Save any
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Discover
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The IO Podcast: Investor + Operator

Here's Why Shopify Will Be A 100 Year Company | Kaz Nejatian, Shopify COO & Former YC Founder | Episode 12

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Kaz emphasizes the importance of working at a company that allows creating a dent in the universe, focusing on making a positive impact and aligning personal life with work goals

Kaz prioritizes original thinking, advocating for minial use of processes, and encourages deeper problem-solving

Kaz values focused expertise, leveraging cross-disciplinary knowledge to drive innovation and create connections between disparate ideas

Kaz's approach to product management emphasizes user-centric focus, judgment-driven decision-making, and prioritizing empathy over traditional stakeholder management

Kaz advocates for marrying work ambitions with personal goals, seeking to optimize life for long - term impact and satisfaction, resonating with his belief in making a dent in the universe

The Role of Meetings in Modern Communication

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Discoverhighlights

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Share& Export

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Discoverhighlights

Get the Snipd
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