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Competing with giants: An inside look at how The Browser Company builds product | Josh Miller (CEO)

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Mar 19, 2023

Guest

Josh Miller

Josh Miller, CEO and co-founder of The Browser Company and creator of the innovative Arc web browser, dives into the unique culture at his company. He discusses the emphasis on user emotions over traditional metrics in product development and how fostering a genuine connection can drive engagement. Miller also outlines their hiring practices, focusing on multidisciplinary talent and the importance of storytelling in tech. The conversation reveals how their values and collaborative approach set them apart in the competitive landscape of web browsers.

01:28:37

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Episode notes

insights

INSIGHT

Optimizing for Feelings

The Browser Company optimizes for feelings, prioritizing how software makes users feel.
This contrasts with Silicon Valley's focus on metrics, which can miss crucial aspects of user experience.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Facebook vs. Snapchat

Josh Miller contrasts Facebook's metric-driven approach to Snapchat's focus on user connection during Snapchat's rise.
He suggests Facebook should have focused on whether users felt closer to their friends and family.

volunteer_activism

ADVICE

Hiring and Values

Hire people with heartfelt intensity, a passion for their work.
Encourage a beginner's mindset, even in experts, and prioritize action over analysis.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Innovating User Engagement with ARK

04:51 • 15min

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Building Values in Tech Culture

19:38 • 28min

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Building Genuine Relationships with Users: A Holistic Approach to Product Development

47:38 • 4min

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Emphasizing Multidisciplinary Talent Over Traditional Roles

51:30 • 3min

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The Transformative Role of Product Managers in Tech

54:49 • 20min

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Reimagining the Web Browser

01:15:15 • 10min

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Enhancing Team Dynamics Through Authenticity and Tool Innovation

01:25:23 • 2min

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Insights and Final Thoughts on Using Arc

01:27:03 • 2min

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Harold and the Purple Crayon

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Seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees

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God Save Texas

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In *God Save Texas*, Lawrence Wright offers a vivid and nuanced portrait of Texas, exploring its complex history, diverse culture, and influential politics. The book delves into the state's contradictions, from its conservative leanings to its vibrant urban diversity, and examines how Texas reflects and shapes America's future. Wright's narrative blends personal anecdotes with historical and contemporary insights, providing a comprehensive look at the Lone Star State.

Brought to you by Writer—Generative AI for the enterprise | Dovetail—Bring your customer into every decision | Linear—The new standard for modern software development

—

Josh Miller is the CEO and co-founder of The Browser Company, where he helped build Arc, my go-to web browser. In today’s episode, we get an inside look at the unique structure and values of The Browser Company and how their company culture has helped them land some of the best talent in tech. Josh shares ways that his company embraces experimentation, including their “optimizing for feelings” approach to building, and explains why extreme transparency is at the forefront of everything they do.

Special invite link to skip the waitlist: https://arc.net/gift/lenny

Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/competing-with-giants-an-inside-look-at-how-the-browser-company-builds-product-josh-miller-ceo/#transcript

Where to find Josh Miller:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshm

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-miller-b31259106/

Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

Referenced:

• Early access to Arc: https://arc.net/gift/lenny

• The Browser Company: https://thebrowser.company/

• Arc: https://arc.net/

• Hursh Agrawal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hurshagrawal/

• Hacker News: https://news.ycombinator.com/

• Scott Belsky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottbelsky/

• Notes on Roadtrips: https://thebrowser.company/values/

• Shahed Khan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_shahedk

• Paper by FiftyThree: https://www.hellobrio.com/blog/digital-drawing-paper-fiftythree

• Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/

• Peter Vidani on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pter

• The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/

• Ellis Hamburger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellishamburger/

• Airbnb’s Snow White project: https://uxdesign.cc/how-airbnb-proved-that-storytelling-is-the-most-important-skill-in-design-15d04ac71039

• General Magic: https://www.generalmagicthemovie.com/

• Linear: https://linear.app/

• Raycast: https://www.raycast.com/

• Cron: https://cron.com/

• Thrive Capital: https://thrivecap.com/

• Tuple: https://tuple.app/

• Figma: https://www.figma.com/

• Harold and the Purple Crayon: https://www.amazon.com/Harold-Purple-Crayon-Crockett-Johnson/dp/0062086529

• Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Forgetting-Name-Thing-Sees/dp/0520256093/

• God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State: https://www.amazon.com/God-Save-Texas-Journey-State/dp/0525520104

• The Last of Us on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/the-last-of-us

• Adam Curtis documentaries on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLStWlBRkr0N_aYjPmbrrjm_rsstpkUBLc

• Notion: https://www.notion.so/

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Josh’s background

(03:56) Arc and the metrics they use to track growth

(04:42) Arc’s retention numbers

(08:22) Josh’s product-building philosophy and why he believes in optimizing for feelings

(18:57) How The Browser Company’s values create a culture that allows them to ship so quickly

(22:46) The “Notes on Roadtrips” doc about values

(27:48) How Josh is able to hire such amazing talent

(37:29) The good and bad of building in public

(45:16) Some of the odd teams at The Browser Company and why Josh calls it a prototype-driven culture

(46:01) The membership team

(48:07) The storytelling team

(52:00) Why The Browser Company doesn’t have traditional PMs

(54:07) A case for adding PMs

(57:32) The role of data, even in a company that optimizes for feelings

(58:30) Airbnb’s Snow White project

(1:02:14) How impactful moments in Josh’s life influenced values at The Browser Company

(1:03:08) How the film General Magic has inspired Josh

(1:04:32) The value of novel names

(1:06:50) Why The Browser Company’s approach works for Arc

(1:12:47) Why you need to nail latency and why Josh loves Tupl

(1:14:33) The shift to cloud computing and the ultimate vision at The Browser Company

(1:23:15) Lightning round

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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