The apps and websites we use every day depend on systems most of us never see.

Jay Kreps joins Joubin Mirzadegan to share how Confluent became the ‘central nervous system’ for companies like Expedia and eBay, letting them respond to business operations instantly.

They also break down why the myth of AI-driven efficiency falls short, and why building truly transformative companies takes far longer than most people expect.
​
Guest: Jay Kreps, Co-Founder & CEO of Confluent

Connect with Jay

• X
• LinkedIn

Connect with Joubin

• X
• LinkedIn
• Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com

​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

Can a no-code giant reinvent itself in the AI-native era?

This week on Grit, Airtable CEO Howie Liu shares what it means to “refound” a company, how speed comes from tearing up old playbooks, and why conversational AI is reshaping his product—and his company.

Guest: Howie Liu, Co-Founder & CEO of Airtable

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
01:04 First startup & YC
04:06 Salesforce acqui-hire
07:31 Life-changing exit at 22
11:07 Scaling too fast, layoffs
14:04 Sparks vs. coasting growth
19:33 Two years to launch
24:04 Could AI Build It Faster?
27:06 Vibe coding & AI startups
36:47 Everyone can build software
41:08 Refounding Airtable with AI
51:04 Sprint vs. marathon
58:15 Cap tables & control
01:03:29 Always be hiring
01:05:00 What grit means

Links:

Connect with Howie

• X
• LinkedIn

Connect with Airtable

• Website: airtable.com
• X
• LinkedIn

Connect with Joubin

• X
• LinkedIn
• Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com

Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

For Bill McDermott, work has never been just a job.

On this Labor Day rerun of Grit, first published Jan 9, 2023, the ServiceNow CEO reflects on what he learned from his earliest jobs and how he carried those lessons from a deli counter in Long Island to the boardroom of an $80B software company.

We cover:

• Why Bill bought a deli when he was in high school — and how he competed against 7-Eleven (04:00)
• Interviewing at Xerox and wanting it more than anyone else (08:17)
• Unwavering optimism and being a source of strength for others (12:34)
• How a love of work has shaped Bill as a person (16:44)
• Facing challenges and keeping a promise to his father (22:00)
• Enjoying the present and keeping an eye on the future (30:01)
• Leaving Xerox for Gartner and learning from a tough experience (33:29)
• Sloan Kettering and Father Michael Judge (39:22)
• Following the “original dream” vs. building something new at ServiceNow (44:59)
• Losing an eye and getting a pep talk from two Medal of Honor winners (51:15)
• Why Bill started and ended his book with quotes from two Kennedys (01:01:21)

Connect with Bill

• X
• LinkedIn

Connect with Joubin

• X
• LinkedIn
• Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com

Learn more about Kleiner Perkins