Greymatter

Greylock general partner Sarah Guo speaks with Aneel Bhusri, the chairman, co-CEO and co-founder of Workday. This interview is part of Greylock’s “Iconversations" series. Bhusri who is also a former managing partner at Greylock, is known for his laser focus on two things: product vision, and the ability to find and retain great people. He and his Workday day co-founder and co-ceo Dave Duffield actually interviewed the first 500 employees themselves, and they did so with the goal to find the people who embodied the values to guide Workday’s company culture. You can read a transcript of this interview here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/workday-aneel-bhusri-engineering-values/ You can watch a video from the event on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/bh5MA4Y60h0 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Audio version of Greylock general partner Asheem Chandna's Forbes column, "Want to Win? Create the Right Early GTM Strategy," read by Greylock marketing partner Elisa Schreiber. Chandna provides guidance to early stage founders in the transition phase where many startups fail: the period after their initial success when they must move to a rigorous go-to-market architecture that enables year-over-year growth. You can read the essay here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/asheem-chandna-gtm-taking-it-to-the-next-level/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greylock general partner Reid Hoffman and his Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh examine the current development of Web3, focusing on how basic human nature is driving some of the innovation. This discussion was sparked in part by an article by Bloomberg reporter Joshua Brustein, who interviewed Hoffman about his recent essay on his experience as a Web 2.0 entrepreneur and investor. In that essay, Hoffman described the ways the “wild idealism” of the era led to major advances that both positively and negatively impacted the world, and how the “seven deadly sins” of humanity form the basis of many technological pursuits. You can read a transcript of this conversation here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/vices-and-virtues-in-web3/ You can read Joshua's story here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/web3-silicon-valley-s-new-obsession-looks-a-lot-like-last-one?sref=ojgukC4T Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reid Hoffman and Mustafa Suleyman discuss the current AI landscape, breakthrough moments in AI advancements, founding DeepMind, advantages of establishing outside Silicon Valley, reflections on a controversial management style, and the importance of governance and ethics in AI development.

On the day of their public market debut, Sonder CEO and founder Francis Davidson talks with Greylock general partner Josh McFarland about the hospitality company's wild journey from a side gig started during college to a modern, tech-enabled, design-forward accommodation platform serving travelers in 35 countries around the world. Davidson recounts the company's swift traction of the first few years, the dark days of early 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic struck and upended travel overnight, and how the company pivoted and redirected its focus in order to emerge stronger than ever. You can read a transcript of this interview here: https://greylock.com/portfolio-news/congrats-sonder/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced nearly every aspect of life online. Suddenly, everything was happening on Zoom. To the everyday consumer, Zoom might have seemed like an overnight success story. But Zoom CEO and founder Eric Yuan, who was founded the company in 2011 as an enterprise service, said they were able to meet the sudden surge in demand thanks to the company's longstanding, unwavering focus on making virtual human interaction easy and accessible for anyone regardless of location, device, or technical savviness. That consistent customer-centric approach allowed the company to grow 30-fold without compromising quality, and has made Zoom a lasting everyday part of work, school, entertainment, healthcare, and everything else. This interview by Greylock general partner Sarah Guo is part of Greylock's Iconversations speaker series. You can read a transcript of the conversation here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/zoom-eric-yuan-full-screen-ahead/ ‎ You can watch the video from this event here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnsTB8Q5VgnUtQ2Yc32sqgCr_pm77YGZr Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A re-broadcast of Reid Hoffman's discussion with his Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh on the pros and cons of two different courses of study: the standard business school MBA, or a degree in philosophy. Hoffman, who holds a philosophy degree from Oxford, shares why he generally views pursuing an MBA as an adverse signal for entrepreneurship. This episode is the second in a two-part series on philosophy and entrepreneurship. You can read an essay from this podcast here:https://greylock.com/greymatter/philosopher-versus-mba/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A re-broadcast of Reid Hoffman's discussion with his Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh on the ways a philosophy degree can impact entrepreneurship. This conversation is the first in a two-part series on the subject. You can read an essay based on this podcast here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/the-philosopher-entrepreneur/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Members of Greylock's investing and specialist teams reflect on the past year, and look forward to the year ahead. They weigh in on the main startup trends, discuss sectors they are planning to spend more time on, and share personal stories about lessons learned, and plans for the coming year. You can read a transcript of this episode here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/year-in-review/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greylock general partner David Thacker talks with Eden Chen, the CEO and co-founder of backend game engine platform Pragma. As live service gaming has become a massive industry, powering that ecosystem has become increasingly complex. Like every other technology sector, there are too few software developers around to keep up with the demands of constant game development and iteration. Pragma was built to relieve that bottleneck. Along the way, the company aims to help developers focus more on the creative aspects of games that can make them a force for good. You can read a transcript of this podcast here:https://greylock.com/greymatter/game-changer/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices