
"World of DaaS"
deep dive into Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) businesses. World of DaaS is a podcast for data enthusiasts, by data enthusiasts, where Auren Hoffman talks to business and technology leaders about all things data - building it, acquiring it, analyzing it, and everything in between.
Latest episodes

Dec 5, 2023 • 41min
Hubspot CEO Brian Halligan: Navigating Startup Boards
Brian Halligan, CEO of Hubspot, discusses the intricacies of boardroom politics and leadership transitions. He forecasts the future of marketing in the AI age and compares the tech scenes on the West and East coasts. They also touch on CEO transitions, the evolution of marketing, qualities of a good long-term investor, and the importance of writing and communication skills for CEOs.

Nov 28, 2023 • 40min
Auren Hoffman: Entity Resolution with Placekey
Data expert Auren Hoffman discusses geospatial data and entity resolution. Topics include complexities of address matching, benefits of using Placekey, challenges of joining data sets, future goals of Placekey, and the importance of celebrating small wins.

33 snips
Nov 21, 2023 • 60min
Sam Corcos, Levels CEO: 10x Delegation
Sam Corcos, CEO of Levels, a health tech startup, shares his strategies for delegation and leadership. He discusses the benefits of transparency and building in public. They also touch on personal topics like minimalism and intentional thinking. The podcast explores the role of executive assistants, challenges and benefits of delegation, tracking health data, optimizing diet, limitations of blood tests, connecting after events, and a conspiracy theory about insulin prices.

Nov 14, 2023 • 56min
Jeff Lawson, CEO of Twilio: The API Economy
Jeff Lawson, CEO of Twilio, shares insights into the API economy, scaling successful businesses, and the future of the SaaS business model. They discuss the challenges of integrating communication features into digital products, the rise of the API economy, the evolution of the SaaS industry, collaboration and privacy, conventional wisdom, mastery, and following customers to drive company success.

10 snips
Nov 7, 2023 • 44min
Spencer Kimball, CEO of Cockroach Labs: Future of Open Source
Spencer Kimball, CEO of Cockroach Labs, discusses the future of open source companies, competing with giants like AWS and Oracle, and offers essential advice for first-time founders. They explore the evolution of open source and open core companies, the decline of Oracle's market share, and the advantages of cloud platforms for databases.

Oct 31, 2023 • 50min
Michael Seibel, Y Combinator Group Partner
Michael Seibel, Y Combinator group partner and co-founder of Twitch, dives into the startup landscape, YC's top qualities in applicants, and the mistakes and advice that saved Twitch. They discuss traits of successful founders, the importance of launching and iterating, the concept of insiders and outsiders in YC, and challenging conventional wisdom on entrepreneurship.

26 snips
Oct 24, 2023 • 53min
Ben Horowitz, co-founder of a16z: Venture Capital
Ben Horowitz, cofounder and CEO of Andreessen Horowitz, discusses AI vs software and the winners and losers in the AI revolution. He explores wartime vs peacetime CEOs and the importance of adaptability. Ben also shares insights on building the right culture at Andreessen Horowitz and challenges faced by non-founder CEOs. Other topics include CEO handoffs, breakthrough ideas, politicians, conspiracy theories, and challenging conventional wisdom in hiring and firing practices.

9 snips
Oct 17, 2023 • 50min
Guillermo Rauch, CEO of Vercel: AI
Guillermo Rauch, CEO of Vercel, discusses the future of web development, user experience, and developer-first companies. They also delve into open-source business models and AI's impact on data interactions. Rauch shares his unique personal journey and insights on health, the immigrant experience, and conspiracy theories.

Oct 12, 2023 • 46min
Andrew Ross Sorkin: SVB, Lessons from 2008 Financial Crisis & VC
Financial columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin discusses non-obvious insights into the 2008 financial crisis, the banking system evolution, and the SVB collapse. He also explores venture capital in the media industry, AI's role in copyright, changes in M&A driven by private equity, and intriguing subjects like independent media and conspiracy theories.

52 snips
Oct 3, 2023 • 46min
Peter Thiel: Science, Society, Stagnation
Peter Thiel, entrepreneur and investor, discusses venture capital, scientific stagnation, AI, tech start-ups, and more. He dives deep into the global economic landscape, the impact of competition, and the challenges of expansion. Thiel examines the smokescreen of wokeness, the scarcity of courage, and challenges conventional wisdom. He also explores the naming convention in science and the potential impact of humanities education on scientific progress.