Minus One

Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks and former Google/SoftBank exec, reflects on his unconventional path into cybersecurity. He discusses how AI both creates and exposes massive security risks. Short, punchy takes cover AI finding hidden vulnerabilities, patching at scale, and why new stacks and control planes are urgently needed.

Haya Odeh, designer and Replit cofounder who shaped product and culture, and Amjad Masad, Replit cofounder and CEO focused on accessible, AI-driven developer tools. They discuss cloud vs local security, why prompting may be reaching its limits, Replit’s 'Seek Pain' cultural value, how modern models changed in late 2024, and where new million-dollar founders are emerging.

Rahul Patil, CTO of Anthropic and veteran engineering leader focused on building dependable, safe AI infrastructure. He talks about prioritizing safety over speed, designing trustworthy AI and infrastructure, tradeoffs between scale and responsibility, and why culture and mission matter when chasing exponential impact.

Elad Gil, investor and author of High Growth Handbook, offers contrarian startup takes in a wide-ranging conversation. He questions the cofounder myth and when selling makes sense. He explains why product surface area and cross-selling beat raw data moats. He also covers AI-driven opportunities, incumbents’ advantages, and sensible exit hygiene.

Grant Lee, cofounder and CEO of Gamma, built an AI visual storytelling tool that rethinks slide decks. He discusses pivoting from frustration with slides to a mobile‑first, multimedia product. He covers surviving the SVB crisis, scaling lean to a $2B valuation, why different beats better, and pushing through “cringe valley” to make storytelling a growth and hiring advantage.

Tony Xu, Co-founder and CEO of DoorDash, who built the company from early hustle to a delivery leader. He discusses digitizing the physical world, how DoorDash creates proprietary local inventory and mapping data, whether AI-native competitors threaten fulfillment businesses, and why customer-focused product design and hands-on operations still matter.

Andrew Yang, entrepreneur and former presidential candidate known for advocating universal basic income, discusses AI-driven job disruption and why white-collar roles are now at risk. He explains his approach to spotting trends early. He also describes Noble Mobile’s plan to lower bills and pay people to use their phones less. The conversation covers political engagement, systemic reforms, and societal risks from rapid automation.

Waseem Daher, founder and CEO of Pilot and former Dropbox engineer who built Ksplice and Zulip. He argues passion arises from doing, not prior mission. He favors rapid hypothesis testing over aimless ideation. He explains team-first idea selection, why micromanagement can help, and how AI and LLMs reshape startup creation and scaling.

What does it feel like to bet your company on AI when everyone's talking about a bubble?Anurag Goel, CEO of Render and former employee #8 at Stripe, joins SPC Partner Jonathan Brebner to share why he's going all-in on AI infrastructure. The SPC alum breaks down the honest debates happening inside his company, why vulnerability builds more trust than the "always confident" founder persona, and how random events (like his wife's grad school decision) led to his early days at Stripe.1. Anurag Goel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anuragoel/2. Jonathan Brebner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-brebner/3. South Park Commons: https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/Apply to SPC: https://www.southparkcommons.com/apply0:00:00 Intro0:00:27 How Anurag joined Stripe0:04:30 Silicon Valley “mythmaking”0:07:15 Can founders be vulnerable?0:09:00 His “Minus One” moment after Stripe0:15:45 Killing “good” ideas0:17:50 How Render unlocks developer productivity0:24:00 The AI bubble

Kunal Shah, founder of FreeCharge and CRED, shares his unique insights on human behavior and product design. He highlights the importance of asking 'why?' to foster curiosity and drive innovation. Kunal delves into how cultural factors can stifle creativity and explores the nuances of human motivation in pricing. He discusses the role of aesthetic design in building trust and the clever marketing strategies behind CRED's campaigns. His reflections on the dynamics of startup success and the necessity for relentless learning are both thought-provoking and inspiring.