Crucible Moments
Sequoia Capital
A podcast about the inflection points that shaped some of the most significant companies of our time. Crucible moments are pivotal decisions that determine your trajectory. In Season 2, hear from founders and leaders like Steve Chen of YouTube, Drew Houston of Dropbox, Frank Slootman of ServiceNow and Tony Xu of DoorDash, Steve Huffman of Reddit and more about how they navigated the challenges and opportunities that defined their stories. Hosted by Roelof Botha of Sequoia Capital.The content of this podcast does not constitute investment advice, an offer to provide investment advisory services or an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any investment fund.
Episodes
Mentioned books
19 snips
Oct 24, 2024 • 53min
DoorDash ft. Tony Xu - The “Wrong” Moves That Built a Giant
Tony Xu, the Founder and CEO of DoorDash, shares fascinating insights into how he built a delivery giant despite immense skepticism. Alongside Sequoia Capital's Alfred Lin and DoorDash's Keith Yandell, they discuss the pivotal decisions that propelled DoorDash, especially their focus on suburbia and local businesses. They explore the challenges of fundraising, navigating financial strains, and cultivating resilience during tough times. The conversation delves into how the pandemic became an unexpected opportunity for growth and innovation.
38 snips
Oct 10, 2024 • 42min
UiPath ft. Daniel Dines - From Bootstrapping in Bucharest to One of Software’s Biggest IPOs
Daniel Dines, founder and former CEO of UiPath, shares the inspiring story of building a global RPA leader from Bucharest. Joined by Andra Ciorici-Chelmus, Brandon Deer, and Luciana Lixandru, they discuss key turning points in their journey, including a transformative visit to India that realigned their strategy. They explore the challenges of scaling a rapidly growing company, the integration of AI, and the resilience required to innovate in a competitive landscape, proving that greatness can emerge from unexpected places.
46 snips
Sep 26, 2024 • 43min
Reddit ft. Steve Huffman - The Making (and Remaking) of the Front Page of the Internet
Join Steve Huffman, CEO and co-founder of Reddit, Chris Slowe, Reddit's CTO, and Alfred Lin from Sequoia Capital as they share Reddit's fascinating journey from a college project to a cultural juggernaut. They discuss the challenges of maintaining moderation while upholding free speech, and the pivotal moments like the Reddit Blackout when users demanded change. The trio also delves into the evolution of Reddit post-acquisition, highlighting its struggle to balance corporate pressures with community values as they navigated toward a successful IPO.
63 snips
Sep 12, 2024 • 44min
MongoDB ft. Dev Ittycheria - How an Early Pivot Catalyzed an Open Source Movement
Dwight Merriman, co-founder of MongoDB, and Dev Ittycheria, its current CEO, share the adventurous journey of transforming MongoDB into a leading database solution. They discuss the pivotal pivot from a platform-as-a-service to a focused database model amidst fierce competition. The conversation highlights the successful transition to the cloud with Atlas, which now dominates their revenue, and the challenges of changing their licensing model to protect their business. Their insights shed light on resilience and innovation in the tech industry.
35 snips
Aug 29, 2024 • 43min
ServiceNow ft. Frank Slootman and Fred Luddy - From Starting Over at 50 to Dodging a $150B Mistake
Frank Slootman, the former CEO of ServiceNow, and company founder Fred Luddy share their compelling journey of resilience and innovation in tech. Luddy, who started over at 50 after a bankruptcy, discusses his vision for a cloud-based IT platform that transformed into a $150B enterprise. Slootman reveals the early challenges of scaling and the fear of checking emails during high-pressure times. The two recount the risky decision-making process that nearly led to a costly misstep in selling the company, ultimately emphasizing the importance of a long-term strategy.
Aug 22, 2024 • 3min
Crucible Moments Season 2: Coming August 29
In Season 1 of Crucible Moments, we heard from founders like PayPal’s Max Levchin, Block’s Jack Dorsey, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and more about the turning points and key decisions that shaped their journeys. Now Crucible Moments is back for another exciting season. We’ll get the unvarnished history and inside story from Tony Xu of DoorDash, Drew Houston of Dropbox, Frank Slootman of ServiceNow, Vlad Tenev of Robinhood and more. Hosted by Roelof Botha of Sequoia Capital.
6 snips
Jul 11, 2024 • 51min
Introducing "Training Data," a new podcast from Sequoia about the future of A.I.
Harrison Chase from LangChain discusses advancements in AI agents and their significance for the future. Topics include autonomous agents, cognitive architectures, user experience for language models, standardized interfaces, pairwise testing, and CEO advice for AI founders.
27 snips
Nov 30, 2023 • 39min
Nvidia ft. Jensen Huang - An overnight success story 30 years in the making
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, reveals the company's incredible journey from designing 3D graphics cards to becoming a leader in AI. He discusses their near-death experiences and their success story as the sixth most valuable company in the world. The podcast also delves into their early failures, crisis management, and their decision to embrace the AI revolution.
7 snips
Nov 16, 2023 • 39min
23andMe ft. Anne Wojcicki - How a DNA startup took on the FDA and redefined health tech
Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe, shares the journey of the company, from challenging the medical establishment to becoming the only FDA-approved product. The podcast discusses the regulatory challenges, expansion into drug discovery, and the company's evolution in redefining health tech.
26 snips
Nov 2, 2023 • 37min
Jawbone ft. Hosain Rahman - The rise and fall of the first wearable technology company
Hosain Rahman, Co-founder of Jawbone, discusses the rise and fall of the first wearable technology company. Topics include the challenges faced, the birth of the wireless smart speaker market, the innovation of sensors in wearable tech, and the wisdom gained from failure.
