Referral Loops Need Product Pull

Vlad Tenev says Robinhood’s waitlist and referral mechanics worked because the product itself was compelling enough to spread.

Play episode from 19:37

chevron_right

Transcript

chevron_right

Transcript

Episode notes

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Deel - https://deel.com/twist

LinkedIn Jobs - https://LinkedIn.com/twist.

Iru - https://iru.com/twist

Today’s show:

We’ve got a treat for you today on TWiST! Jason is live from LAUNCH Fest in San Francisco, where he’s joined by Robinhood founder Vlad Tenev.

The era of AI is here. Robinhood found success in the midst of the last great technological shift. What lessons did Vlad take from this, and how can founders apply these to this next transformative period? What elements are the same and what elements have changed?

Let’s get inside the mind of one of the greatest founders of the last decade!

Timestamps:

0:00 Why Jason runs events like LAUNCH Fest.

3:25 The early days of Jason and Vlad.

5:54 Why getting users before monetizing creates a bigger business.

9:49 Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit https://deel.com/twist to learn more.

11:03 Finding ways to launch a product multiple times.

13:49 How Robinhood identified its initial customers.

20:09 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist.

21:04 Robinhood's "give to get" and waitlist mechanics explained.

25:07 Navigating mistakes that feel existential (they're not!)

27:36 Leaning into negative press.

30:30 Iru - Iru unifies identity, endpoint security, and compliance into one platform. TWiST listeners get 20% off when they book a demo at https://iru.com/twist

32:13 Tackling competition in the AI era.

37:20 How Vlad hires and develops talent.

42:16 What is good design in an era of vibe coded slop?

46:46 Vlad's top lessons from the last 10 years.

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com

Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm