Grit

Frank Slootman, CEO and Chairman of Snowflake and author of Amp It Up, discusses topics like being tough on yourself, confronting demons, judging talent, rejecting pride, and learning from the best in this entertaining podcast episode.

CEO and Co-Founder Gingko Bioworks, Jason Kelly discusses the wonder and challenges of bioengineering, the history of biotech, first principles thinking, super-voting shares, and applying AI to DNA engineering.

John McMahon, author of The Qualified Sales Leader, discusses the challenges of sales, the importance of persistence, corporate culture vs. coaching culture, identifying sales talent, and the intense nature of being a CRO. They also talk about the significance of building relationships, coaching and showing care in sales leadership, and the defining features of successful companies. Additionally, they explore the concept of PLG, adaptability in leadership, and the importance of grit in organizations.

Angela Duckworth, Professor at UPenn & Author, discusses the importance of passion, perseverance, and hard work. She encourages young people to pursue a life of dedication, happiness, and humor. The podcast covers topics such as being punctual, teaching grit to children, hiring gritty people, and the cost of hard work. Angela also shares insights on satisfaction, loneliness, and success as a journey.

Former CEO of Drift, David Cancel, discusses his entrepreneurial journey and the importance of never feeling trapped. Topics include accountability, imposter syndrome, conservative spending, remote work, fundraising, and distinguishing between good and great ideas.

Chairman of Kleiner Perkins, John Doerr, shares stories of investing in Google and the need for a CEO, the urgent action required for the climate crisis, balancing work and family, the opportunity of AI and sustainability, the invention of Amazon Prime, the Google CEO search, and how the iPhone nearly killed Apple.

Shlomo Kramer, Founder and CEO of Cato Networks, discusses the burden of persona and the challenges of being too early in the market. They also talk about rebellion in the Israeli army, encouraging children's entrepreneurship, accepting tough feedback, and the origin of the Kato idea.

Arvind Jain, CEO of Glean, and Mamoon Hamid, partner at Kleiner Perkins, discuss the state of the AI business, building great products, Arvind's childhood, leaving Google, Glean vs. Rubrik, the future of work, AI hype, picking a venture capitalist, and the meaning of 'grit' in building a startup.

StockX CEO Scott Cutler discusses out-of-touch VCs, challenges of marketplaces, gaining perspective, work-family balance, e-commerce in the US vs. China, and digital ownership. He emphasizes the importance of the journey rather than the destination, and shares insights on routines, StockX's future, going public, SPACs, and NFTs. Additionally, he highlights the power of persistence and addresses the challenges of balancing work and family.

Brian Long, former CEO of Attentive and author of Problem Hunting, discusses the importance of understanding the problem being solved, building and scaling companies, the value of relationships in sales, the rollercoaster of emotions when selling a company, the early stages and pivot of Attentive, and personal excitement in working with loved ones.