Noam Bardin

Noam Bardin, former CEO of Waze and founder of Post News, shares insights on his new venture aimed at compensating publishers. He delves into the challenges traditional platforms face and discusses innovative community-driven content moderation. The conversation also touches on the noticeability of political shifts in social media, particularly regarding Trump's Twitter return. Bardin emphasizes the importance of fostering respectful online discussions and the potential of micropayments to enhance news accessibility, promoting a more positive information-sharing environment.

Noam Bardin, the former CEO of Waze and VP of Product at Google, shares his insights on navigating tech culture, especially after Waze's acquisition. He discusses the challenges of regulating monopolies and the urgent need for age-based social media regulations. Bardin also critiques the overreach of major tech firms like Facebook, emphasizing the importance of a focused vision for startups. Their conversation offers a deep dive into the complexities of corporate governance and the responsibilities of tech leaders in an evolving landscape.

Guest: Noam Bardin, founder of Post NewsOne of the “aha” moments that could sway a dubious Waze user, recalls former CEO Noam Bardin, was navigating around “all those idiots sitting in traffic... and you’re like, ‘I’m a genius.’” Now, at the social news app Post, Noam says the “aha” is avoiding partisan gridlock and paywalls. Social incumbents boost engagement by making users angry, while Post just wants you to read. “If we can remove friction and give you the right articles at the right time, so you feel smarter when you walk away,” he says, “that’s the aha moment.”In this episode, Noam and Joubin discuss stories vs. execution, ROFRs, culture clash, timing an acquisition, corporate tags, fear of going bigger, joining big companies, mobile app retention, big tech monopolies, competing against Foursquare, and not optimizing for “culture warriors.”In this episode, we cover:Putting your opinions out there (01:15)Waze almost sold to Facebook (06:10)Getting in the room with Google (13:04)How the first Google deal fell apart (15:10)Back to Facebook — briefly (17:15)The news begins to leak, and Google returns (20:26)Grinding for five years at a startup (23:57)“Hockey sticks” are never smooth (28:32)The personal impact of volatility (31:37)“Everything is a mess in startups” (34:38)The worst day of Noam’s life (38:22)How Waze started, and how Noam joined (42:22)The failure of Intercast Networks (45:07)Brave faces and “corp-speak” (48:33)Integrating into Google’s culture (53:13)No constraints and too much money (01:01:08)Defining metrics that matter (01:04:11)Maps and social (01:06:46)Silicon Valley’s worst invention: “Pivoting” (01:09:56)The social news problem Post solves (01:14:51)Misinformation and authoritarianism (01:18:42)Post’s microtransactions (01:21:08)Being misunderstood and the “aha” moment (01:23:58)Who Post is hiring and what “grit” means to Noam (01:27:09)Links:Connect with NoamTwitterPostLinkedInConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com Learn more about Kleiner PerkinsThis episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm