Grit

Kleiner Perkins

Grit explores what it takes to create, build, and scale world-class organizations. It features weekly episodes highlighting the leaders who are pushing their companies to make a difference. This series is hosted by Joubin Mirzadegan, go to market operating partner at Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm investing in history-making founders.

  1. From Idea To Impact: How Gamma Is Redefining Presentations | Grant Lee

    1 DAY AGO

    From Idea To Impact: How Gamma Is Redefining Presentations | Grant Lee

    Make your product irresistible, and everything else will follow. That’s the philosophy of Grant Lee, co-founder and CEO of Gamma, an AI design platform with an 'anti-PowerPoint approach', used by over 50M people. This week on Grit, he also shares why enduring businesses aren’t one person shows, and how their deliberate hiring process shapes and strengthens company culture. Connect with Grant Lee XLinkedInConnect with Joubin XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

    1h 10m
  2. Leadership Lessons From Snowflake’s Sales & Marketing Duo | Chris Degnan and Denise Persson

    6 OCT

    Leadership Lessons From Snowflake’s Sales & Marketing Duo | Chris Degnan and Denise Persson

    Scaling a business globally comes down to leaders who align teams and drive them forward together. Snowflake serves over 12,000 customers, and early executives Chris Degnan and Denise Persson share how they scaled the company while keeping the unlikely pairing of sales and marketing perfectly aligned through hypergrowth. They join Joubin Mirzadegan to share insights from their new book, Make It Snow, revealing how they built Snowflake’s ‘go-to-market engine’ and fostered a customer-first culture across every function. Guests: Chris Degnan, former CRO and advisor to the CEO at Snowflake, and Denise Persson, CMO at Snowflake. Connect with Chris Degnan  LinkedIn​ Connect with Denise Persson LinkedIn​ Connect with Joubin XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com ​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins:https://www.kleinerperkins.com/

    1h 23m
  3. The Man Who Builds for the Decade Ahead | Founder of Google X, Waymo, and Udacity

    29 SEPT

    The Man Who Builds for the Decade Ahead | Founder of Google X, Waymo, and Udacity

    What does it take to reinvent entire industries, over and over again? This week on Grit, Sebastian Thrun, the “godfather” of self-driving cars and massive open online courses, reflects on a career pushing the boundaries of technology across mobility, education, and AI. With Joubin Mirzadegan, he shares why he believes autonomous driving could become the biggest lifesaving technology in history, and how a wake-up call led him to found Udacity to truly democratize higher education. Guest: Sebastian Thrun, CEO of Stealth Startup, founder of Google X and Udacity Connect with Sebastian Thrun XLinkedIn​ Connect with Joubin XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com ​ Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

    1h 13m
  4. How WordPress Became a Web Giant | Automattic Founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg

    22 SEPT

    How WordPress Became a Web Giant | Automattic Founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg

    What kind of founder builds a billion-dollar company around something anyone can use for free? Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, joins Joubin Mirzadegan to reflect on two decades of building the platform that now powers over 43% of all websites through cycles of doubt, decline, and reinvention. He also shares how Automattic aligns employees with its mission to democratize publishing and commerce through paid sabbaticals and remote work. Guest: Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and founder and CEO of Automattic Connect with Matt Mullenweg XLinkedInConnect with Joubin XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

    1h 10m
  5. The Central Nervous System for Modern Business | Confluent CEO Jay Kreps

    15 SEPT

    The Central Nervous System for Modern Business | Confluent CEO Jay Kreps

    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 XLinkedInConnect with Joubin XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

    1h 18m
  6. Airtable’s AI Reboot with CEO Howie Liu

    8 SEPT

    Airtable’s AI Reboot with CEO Howie Liu

    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 Intro01:04 First startup & YC04:06 Salesforce acqui-hire07:31 Life-changing exit at 2211:07 Scaling too fast, layoffs14:04 Sparks vs. coasting growth19:33 Two years to launch24:04 Could AI Build It Faster?27:06 Vibe coding & AI startups36:47 Everyone can build software41:08 Refounding Airtable with AI51:04 Sprint vs. marathon58:15 Cap tables & control01:03:29 Always be hiring01:05:00 What grit means Links: Connect with Howie XLinkedInConnect with Airtable Website: airtable.comXLinkedInConnect with Joubin XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

    1h 7m
  7. Inside the Mind of the World’s Most Optimistic CEO

    1 SEPT

    Inside the Mind of the World’s Most Optimistic CEO

    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 XLinkedInConnect with Joubin XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com  Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

    1h 10m
  8. How Dropbox Beat Big Tech in the Cloud Wars

    25 AUG

    How Dropbox Beat Big Tech in the Cloud Wars

    How do you win when your competitors are the biggest companies in the world? This week on Grit, Dropbox co-founder and CEO Drew Houston retraces the path from a bus-stop prototype to competing head-on with Google, Apple, and Microsoft. He explains why grit is “learning to run toward discomfort,” and the moments he realized founders keep going “for the love of the game.” Guest: Drew Houston, Co-Founder & CEO of Dropbox Chapters: 00:00 Trailer00:52 Introduction01:35 Towards full autonomy16:20 Coming back to school21:45 Golden ticket to California25:23 No one’s born a CEO28:15 Y Combinator and a co-founder37:53 The craft of being a great CEO53:41 Metabolizing the stress1:10:14 Tactical advices and frameworks1:27:48 Who Dropbox is hiring1:29:35 What “grit” means to Drew1:32:10 Outro Links: Connect with Drew XLinkedInConnect with Joubin XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

    1h 33m
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Trailer

About

Grit explores what it takes to create, build, and scale world-class organizations. It features weekly episodes highlighting the leaders who are pushing their companies to make a difference. This series is hosted by Joubin Mirzadegan, go to market operating partner at Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm investing in history-making founders.

Information

  • Creator
    Kleiner Perkins
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    265
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kleiner Perkins
  • Show Website
    Grit

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