Topline

On this week's Topline, the hosts talk about a recent article HubSpot founder Brian Halligan shared about 20 lessons he learned as CEO and debate whether being a CEO is overrated, why feedback is a gift, what culture really is, and more. There's also a lively discussion around what causes burnout, and observations about upcoming IPOs and what they mean for the broader tech landscape.

With inflation down and the probability of a soft landing increasing, the hosts talk about what this means for B2B tech, share their perspectives on Threads versus Twitter, and discuss the value of taking a pause and evaluating whether your life is truly in balance.

Sendoso CEO Kris Rudeegraap has lead the company through a growth journey from $0 to over $100 Million and in this episode, he shares lessons learned along the way. From using AI to summarize public company 10Q filings for the sales team, to offshoring to freelancers as a method of improving productivity and how he built a robust advisor community, Kris has leveraged a variety of strategies to stay scrappy and "do less, better" while powering the company's growth.

As we wrap up Q2, Sam, AJ and Asad talk through lessons learned from a tough quarter, share their outlooks on what Q3 has in store, and dive into the contentious waters of US politics, including recent Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action and student loans, the war in Ukraine, and more.

This week on Topline, Sam, AJ and Asad are joined by guest Mark Roberge. Mark as the original head of sales at HubSpot, and has gone on to teach at Harvard Business School and found Stage 2 Capital. Together, they discuss the implications of AI for go-to-market teams, inflated VC valuations, and how investors think about AI investments.

Insight Partners released new research this week on publicly traded PLG companies showing that sales led companies have higher valuations. The team digs into why and talks about Softbank’s recent announcement that it has funds to invest and is ready for a “counter offensive,” why Asad is sad the tech recession might end soon, and the biggest lessons they’ve learned from operating in a tight economy.

This week, the team talks about the state of the market and what it means for tech companies, how to drive engagement amongst employees in a tough economy, and whether burnout is really a problem and how to combat it.

In this week's episode, Sam, Asad and AJ reflect on Jeff Bezos' leadership style, how it has impacted Amazon's growth, and the lessons it holds for startup founders looking to foster a culture of innovation. They also check in on the state of the economy and debate whether companies should be looking to expand market share outside of tech.

The guys talk about level setting the way we assess business performance in the current economy, why multiples for AI companies are way up, how AI is fueling new categories of careers, and the pros and cons of hiring execs that have side hustles.

This week, Sam, AJ and Asad reflect on recent congressional testimony about whether and to what degree AI should be regulated, and share insights around how they're working to get their teams aligned, improve communication, and make better decisions using data.