Jack Altman

Jack Altman, CEO of the successful HR software platform Lattice, and Miles Grimshaw, General Partner at Benchmark, dive into scaling tech startups. They share insights from Lattice's early days, discussing investor relationships and the role of Y Combinator. The conversation highlights the importance of market dynamics and customer feedback, arguing that successful engagement metrics go beyond mere usage. They also address evolving employer-employee dynamics and the necessity of authentic leadership in today's work environment. A must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs!

Jack Altman, Founding Lattice ($3B), talks about creating company culture, advantages of startups over big companies, hiring and firing strategies, building relationships with VCs, thoughts on AI, and leadership. They also discuss the annoyance of having the last name Altman, growing up in St. Louis, and the challenges and rewards of podcasting.

Jack Altman is the co-founder and CEO of Lattice, a people success platform for building engaged, high-performing teams. Lattice has raised over $330M, and was last valued at $3B. He is an expert in building company culture, and wrote a book on the topic, titled: “People Strategy”.In today's episode, we discuss: The importance of self-awareness and how to develop it The value of difficult conversations and advice for having them Common mistakes when scaling a company How to approach firing decisions and the associated internal optics How to think about low-performing but “well-liked” employees How to get drastically more out of your team members Adapting to the challenging new economic environment Referenced:Jack’s book: https://www.amazon.com/People-Strategy-Culture-Competitive-Advantage/dp/1119717043Jack’s company, Lattice: https://lattice.com/First Round Capital's Newsletter: https://review.firstround.com/newsletterWhere to find Jack Altman:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackealtmanTwitter: https://twitter.com/jaltmaWhere to find Brett Berson:Twitter: https://twitter.com/brettbersonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-berson-9986094/In this episode, we cover:(2:40) Founders must continually grow with their company(7:23) How to identify hiring errors vs management errors(9:46) Managing the tension of delegation vs control(11:51) How to cultivate self-awareness(14:59) The one thing founders should never give up(17:22) How to build a product org(19:06) Hot take on micro-management(21:05) The importance of context setting as CEO(22:09) What founder transparency actually means(23:43) Examples of “context setting” as a leader(26:09) The value of uncomfortable conversations(27:16) How to have uncomfortable conversations(28:30) Founders must own their most difficult decisions(31:48) Optimizing speed vs accuracy in decision-making(33:50) The hidden biases in group discussions(35:05) When Jack experimented with removing himself from all meetings(37:48) The most unusual element of Jack’s leadership approach(38:34) 4 pieces of advice for CEOs(41:20) How to talk to customers(42:59) The many sources of learning for CEOs(46:45) Instructive framework for maximizing employee performance(49:56) When long-time employees don’t scale with the company(55:07) How to think about low-performing but “well-liked” employees(58:19) Identifying team members that “aren’t a fit”(59:57) Should you tell people why someone was let go?(62:42) Managing in the challenging new economic environment(68:18) Aligning an employee’s career goals with company goals(74:27) You're probably underestimating your team's potential

Jack Altman, the CEO of Lattice, Auren Hoffman, the founder of SafeGraph, and Jason Lemkin, the CEO of SaaStr, discuss the rise of founder-led funds and their competitive dynamics with traditional VC firms like Sequoia. They emphasize the unique empathy founders have towards other entrepreneurs. Topics include how operational experience enhances investment decisions, the necessity of collaboration in investing, and the evolving landscape of venture capital. They also touch on emotional intelligence in successful founders and the balance between investing and running a startup.

Guests: Satish and Scott roast Logan for becoming a media personality. Matthew Prince exposes Cloudflare’s 1st customers: Turkish escorts. Dario Amodei predicts the future of AI. Dev Ittycheria gives 3 steps for holding people accountable. Jack Altman jokes about growing up with Sam. Daniel Ek on money and happiness. Matt Mochary shares his hiring and firing frameworks.

At nine figures in revenue and 550 people, the CEO of Lattice, Jack Altman, has seen every stage of building a startup.    In this week’s Workshop Wednesday — held every Wednesday at 10 a.m. PST — Altman talks more in-depth about his viral tweet storm, sharing the eight things you think as a first-time founder that usually aren’t true.   This episode is an excerpt of Jack and Jason's conversation. Watch the full video, including Q&A: https://youtube.com/live/2sNsZdFjWOE?feature=share   ***** SaaStr Europa is back! And this time, we’re heading to London for 2 fun-filled days of content, networking, and SaaS. Join us June 6th and 7th for SaaStr Europa 2023. Use code FAVE100 for $100 off tickets at saastrlondon.com. *****   Want to join the SaaStr community? We're the 🌎largest community for B2B software. Subscribe for weekly updates: https://www.saastr.com/subscribeform Twitter: https://twitter.com/saastr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2724976 Quora Group: https://www.quora.com/q/cloud Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaaStr/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saastr/ Our North American Event: https://bit.ly/2OXeAYh Our European Event: https://bit.ly/2OZTad8    

Sam Altman, an entrepreneur with an ambitious plan to raise $7 trillion for a chip mission, and Jack Altman, a startup founder who raised 150M for Alt Capital, discuss the challenges of transitioning into venture capital. They also emphasize the importance of diversifying marketing efforts, building alternative channels to mitigate platform risks, and creating high-quality content to stand out in a saturated market.

In this engaging conversation, Jack Altman, founder of Lattice and Alt Capital, and Apurva Mehta, investor at Summit Peak, dissect the impressive investment wins by Sam Altman, particularly his role in Reddit's IPO. They delve into the significance of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) and the vital role of trust in venture capital relationships. Additionally, they discuss the increasing exposure of CalPERS to the venture scene and the complexities of liquidation preferences, shedding light on both opportunities and challenges in the startup investment landscape.

Jack Altman, Co-founder and CEO of Lattice, discusses founder-company fit, the power of referrals in hiring, the value of hiring former founders, strategic decision making, the pros of being an agreeable founder, and different entrepreneurial styles in this entertaining podcast.

Jack Altman, co-founder and former CEO of Lattice, now invests full-time with Alt Capital. He shares how joining a startup post-product-market fit can be the best career move. Alt discusses crucial insights from scaling Lattice and the top traits every founder should possess. He reflects on his fundraising missteps and emphasizes the importance of building products for long-term use. Transitioning into investing, Alt highlights his passion for supporting startups while navigating the complexities of the tech ecosystem.