1st10 Podcast

1st10podcast
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Welcome to 1st10 Podcast, where we dive deep into the world of building early engineering teams. Join us as we sit down with engineers, founders, and investors to uncover the strategies, challenges, and successes behind assembling and nurturing the foundational teams that drive innovation. Whether you're a startup enthusiast, a tech leader, or an aspiring entrepreneur, our conversations provide valuable insights and practical advice on crafting the perfect engineering team from the ground up. Tune in to learn from the best and get inspired to build your own successful early-stage team.

  1. How AI Cut Drug Discovery From 8 Years to 4 Years | Alice Zhang's Moneyball Approach

    FEB 17

    How AI Cut Drug Discovery From 8 Years to 4 Years | Alice Zhang's Moneyball Approach

    What happens when you realize in middle school that the greatest impact you can make is solving humanity's most complex diseases? On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, host Boris Epstein sits down with Alice Zhang, founder and CEO of Verge Genomics, to unpack why drug discovery has been stuck for decades - and why AI, used the right way, might finally change that. Alice dropped out of a prestigious UCLA MD-PhD program to build an AI-powered drug discovery company that's rewriting the rules of biotech. In this conversation, Alice reveals:Why relying on mouse models to predict human drug responses has led to a 90% failure rate in clinical trialsHow conducting 1,200+ interviews helped Alice build a rare team of engineers and scientists fluent in both machine learning and biologyThe conscious culture framework that eliminates workplace dramaHow Verge compressed the traditional 8-year, hundreds-of-millions-dollar journey from discovery to clinical trials down to just 4 yearsWhy it is a problem that we fundamentally don't understand what causes the diseaseSpecifically, don't miss the part where Alice predicts why the pharmacological research industry will move away from the current hybrid model and what it is likely to split into!Chapters:00:00 - Episode Preview02:05 - Introductions05:05 - Small Questions, Big Implicationsg13:18 - "Just Start" ALWAYS Beats Confidence16:21 - The Mouse Problem22:40 - Beating ChatGPT To The ChatGPT Moment28:26 - 3 Areas for AI-IMpact In Drug-Development33:22 - Why Are Drugs Are So D*** Expensive?!35:07 - Building A Dataset That No One Else Has39:31 - "Conscious Culture" Careers at Verge49:35 - A 2026 Prediction Most Founders Won't Like52:09 - Contact Details and Life LessonsQuotes:"The feeling I wanted to have was that I had made a big impact and left a legacy on the world." - Alice Zhang (05:27)"A mouse swimming in a water bath is not going to predict whether a human loses their memory faster or slower." - Alice Zhang (16:14)"No transformative technology from day one has ever been a smashing success." - Alice Zhang (23:49)"The problem with Alzheimer's disease is not that we don't have a drug against it. It's that we completely have no idea what causes Alzheimer's disease." - Alice Zhang (33:52)"Sometimes the best trick for catching a wave isn't actually working hard, it's being at the right position at the right time." - Alice Zhang (52:09)Follow:Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:Alice Zhang on LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-zhang-2087862b/Verge Genomics: https://www.vergegenomics.com/Alice Zhang on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alice-Zhang-8Music by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

    53 min
  2. 2026 Startup Predictions: Why This Year Changes Everything (Bitcoin, IPOs & The Great Divide)

    JAN 23

    2026 Startup Predictions: Why This Year Changes Everything (Bitcoin, IPOs & The Great Divide)

    The startup world is splitting into two radically different realities - and 2026 will be the year this divide becomes impossible to ignore. On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris grades his 2025 forecasts (4.5/5 - not bad!), revealing which bets paid off and where he missed the mark on Bitcoin's meteoric rise. But the real focus is forward: FIVE bold predictions for 2026 that cover everything from crypto's regulatory renaissance and the coming IPO tsunami to a troubling "tale of two cities" emerging between those building the AI-powered future and those struggling to break in. Tune in to hear Boris share incredibly insightful takes that explain:Why last year's "wild guesses" suddenly look obvious in hindsightThe quiet shift that makes this moment historically differentA comeback story most people are calling too earlyWhy talent, not ideas, becomes the real bottleneckHow "efficiency" and "hiring booms" can both be trueThe emergence of TWO Americas - the AIs and The AIn'tsWhether you're a founder chasing funding, an engineer choosing your path, or simply trying to understand where the tech world is headed, this episode cuts through the hype to reveal what's really at stake in 2026.Chapters00:00 Introductions02:18 Grading the 2025 Crystal Ball05:04 When AI Agents Became Non-Negotiable08:58 The Meme That Accidentally Explained the Job Market12:28 A Framework That Suddenly Explains Everything14:20 Prediction #1: A Controversial Bet. (Again.)19:06 Prediction #2: "Floodgates Opening..."21:10 Prediction #3: A Wave of... Consolidation?27:05 Prediction #4: Hiring Will... Boom?!30:02 Prediction #5: The Tale of Two Cities35:10 Is the American Dream Really Over?Quotes:"This year, every single company that's building in the AI space needs their engineers to have agentic development experience. So it's crazy how, in just one year, the world went from, 'No one needs to know how to do this' to 'Everyone needs to know how to do this.'" - Boris Epstein (06:31)"I get it, Stripe. But at the same time think of the public, think of the people! The people want to be in on your success. And that's what getting to go public provides for the actual public. And so do it for the people, Stripe!" - Boris Epstein (20:46)"It's very easy to see today that the future is being built NOT. AT. FAANG. Right? And so the episode really just talks about the important choice that an engineer has to make and it is: 'Do they want to be a part of the future?' Or, 'do they want a very cushy compensation and work-life package?'" - Boris Epstein (26:33)Follow Us On:Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Connect with usWebsite: www.1st10.comPodcast: www.1st10.com/podcast Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineersLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Episodes Referenced:- S3E01 feat. Philip Su: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWtcGUJJgOE- S3E03 feat. Daniel Rock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUCYRa6YqDc- S3E04 feat. Sara Ali: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6ZEHOGbSjk- S3E09 feat. Anastasios Angelopoulos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPoqP5fiqYoSources:- 2025: The State of Generative AI in the Enterprise | Menlo Ventures - https://menlovc.com/perspective/2025-the-state-of-generative-ai-in-the-enterprise/- The State of AI: Global Survey 2025 | McKinsey - https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai- Rise | Top Global Hiring Trends for Startups (2025 Data) - https://www.riseworks.io/blog/top-global-hiring-trends-for-startupsMusic by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

    39 min
  3. The AI Leaderboard Every Top Lab Watches - Inside LMArena's Real-World AI Battleground

    JAN 7

    The AI Leaderboard Every Top Lab Watches - Inside LMArena's Real-World AI Battleground

    What happens when three PhD students accidentally build the infrastructure that every major AI lab depends on? OR What if the AI benchmarks everyone trusts are measuring the wrong thing entirely?On this episode of the *1st10 Podcast*, host Boris Epstein sits down with Anastasios Angelopoulos, co-founder and CEO of LMArena, to unpack LMArena went from a Berkeley side project built with free pizza and zero revenue to a $100M company with 42 employees and tens of millions of users in under two years.Tune in to hear them talk about:- How Academic AI benchmarks measure the wrong things and real-world user feedback is - fundamentally changing how models compete- Why $100M wasn't crazy for a "seed" round - especially when a company has already proven product-market fit- The diversification play in AI, or why dozens of winners will emerge, not just one dominant player- Why Personalized AI i.e., individual leaderboards that route you to the best model is the obvious next step.- The uncomfortable automation truth - Rote jobs WILL disappear, period.- What happens when academic rigor meets commercial speed. (HINT: An unfair advantage in AI evaluation!)Specifically, don't miss Anastasios' surprisingly pragmatic advice on what AI's acceleration means for jobs, companies, and individuals and why being early to the AI revolution means you still have 20 years to position yourself.Chapters00:00 Introductions and ice-breakers05:41 The Academic Path That Accidentally Led to AI's Center08:36 A Side Project That Refused to Stay Small12:04 When Academics Realize They Built a Company15:50 The Bradley-Terry Model: Turning Preferences Into Ranked Data19:22 Your Personal AI Leaderboard Is Coming23:48 "We're 20 Years Ahead of the Pack"26:17 Why a $100M Seed Round Was the Rational Move29:58 Who Makes Up LMArena? And Why?34:47 The LMArena Hiring Philosophy36:56 The Jobs AI Will Definitely Kill40:12 Surf the Wave or Get Pulled UnderQuotes:"We're at Berkeley we're eating pizza, free pizza, making no money but Sam Altman cares what we're doing!" - Anastasios Angelopoulos (10:49)"We're academics by nature. We don't care about aggrandizing or enriching ourselves." - Anastasios Angelopoulos (12:28)"Who cares how well it does on a Math Olympiad? I do mathematics in my work, and even I don't care about it!" - Anastasios Angelopoulos (14:36)"We're very, very early... There's trillions of dollars of economic value that are waiting to be created." - Anastasios Angelopoulos (23:59)"If you're somebody who's proofreading text for grammatical mistakes [...] yeah, you should expect that that job is not going to be there in, like, 20 years!" - Anastasios Angelopoulos (38:19)"The right thing to do is probably to lean in, to try to use the technology, become an expert in it, and be at the forefront of modernizing your field. Because if you do that, then you can be carried with the wave. The problem is if you don't surf the wave, you might get caught in the pullback!" - Anastasios Angelopoulos (40:29)Follow:Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:Music by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

    43 min
  4. This Founder built at NVIDIA, Exited to Harvey - Now He's Betting AI Can Finally Fix Taxes

    12/24/2025

    This Founder built at NVIDIA, Exited to Harvey - Now He's Betting AI Can Finally Fix Taxes

    What if the biggest failure of AI today isn't creativity - but math?On this episode of the *1st10 Podcast*, host Boris Epstein sits down with Sreerama Tripuramallu, a repeat founder whose career spans NVIDIA, a Sequoia-backed startup exit to Harvey AI, and now a stealth consumer product tackling one of the most painful problems professionals face: taxes.Sree walks through his unconventional career path - from being the person whose personal-finance post is still pinned inside NVIDIA's Slack, to building Mirage through the pre-ChatGPT era, pivoting fast during the AI boom, and ultimately exiting just two years in. And now, after seeing first-hand how broken tax planning is, Sree makes a contrarian claim: general-purpose LLMs will never be good at taxes. Not because they aren't smart, but because accuracy and precision matter more than language.The discussion dives into a myriad of topics, such asThe Hidden Cost of General AI: Large language models achieve only 27-33% accuracy on tax computations, revealing a massive gap between general AI capabilities and domain-specific precision.The Acqui-Hire Formula: Getting acquired is sometimes about building relationships with shared investors and finding cultural fit with fast-growing companies at the right moment.The Impending CPA Crisis: 75% of CPAs will retire in the next 10-15 years with no clear succession plan.The User-First Building Philosophy: Founders who optimize for end-user experience over technology choices automatically make better trade-offs. The Serendipity of Startup Inception: The best startups often emerge from problems founders can't stop thinking about, combined with unexpected investor interest.Don't miss the part where Sree explains why he believes we're in an AI bubble that won't actually pop, while making a clear comparison to the dot-com boom (and bust) of early-2000s!Chapters00:00 Introductions02:01 From Personal Finance Guru to NVIDIA Engineer06:06 When "Stop Trying" Worked Better Than Hustling10:12 Building Side Projects Until Burnout Forced a Choice14:05 NVIDIA → Mirage → Harvey20:23 Finding Community Inside a Rocketship26:51 A Side Obsession Turns Serious32:17 A Very Different Kind of AI Product37:25 Careers @ Sree's Stealth Startup: Applied AI Engineers42:41 AI Won't Kill Jobs And The AI Bubble WON'T Pop46:05 Conclusion & Contact Details Quotes:"I stopped worrying about the job and I started worrying about enjoying what I was doing. And it's kind of how I approached everything in my career." - Sreerama Tripuramallu (07:25)"It's not that I'm against paying tax - I just want control over how it's paid." - Sreerama Tripuramallu (30:31)"The LLMs have anywhere from like a 27 to 33% hit rate when it comes to tax computation... My hypothesis from the very beginning was that these models are not going to be able to solve tax." - Sreerama Tripuramallu (34:40)"Excel didn't take away a bunch of CPAs and accountants. It created more of them. [AI is] going to be transformative for all professional work, but it's going to change how we do work." - Sreerama Tripuramallu (43:08)Follow:Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Connect with usWebsite: www.1st10.comPodcast: www.1st10.com/podcast Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineersLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:Sree's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sree-tripuramallu/Mirage - acquired by Harvey AIHarvey AI: https://www.harvey.aiSequoia Arc: https://www.sequoiacap.com/arcMusic by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

    47 min
  5. Inside the AI Startup Tackling the U.S. Radiologist Shortage - Rustin Rassoli

    12/12/2025

    Inside the AI Startup Tackling the U.S. Radiologist Shortage - Rustin Rassoli

    What kind of founder decides to build a full radiology practice, an AI research lab, and a software company - all at once?On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris Epstein sits down with Rustin Rassoli, founder of Epsilon Labs to talk about why solving the U.S. radiology crisis requires breaking the rules of traditional healthcare tech. Rustin recounts his early entrepreneurial experiments, the lessons learned at Atomic VC, and the childhood experiences that exposed him to the failures and bottlenecks inside medical imaging. He details how Epsilon manages a daily throughput of 500+ patients, why existing AI models fail at medical imaging, and what it really takes to build a hybrid org where radiologists, ML researchers, and world-class engineers operate as one unit. Rustin’s unconventional path led him from drop-shipping at age 10, to cold-DMing his way into venture studios, to tackling one of healthcare's most critical problems. And he’s now betting that his integrated 3-in-1 approach might be the only viable path to solving a medical crisis accelerating toward disaster.Inside you’ll find answers to some fascinating questions, such as:Why a "normal" AI startup approach simply cannot solve one of healthcare's fastest-accelerating failures. How a childhood insight inside an imaging center quietly shaped a multi-layered startup strategy years later. What happens when engineers and radiologists attempt to collaborate without speaking the same language. Which single overlooked bottleneck has the potential to determine whether AI can meaningfully affect patient outcomes at scale. Why Rustin believes a tectonic shift is coming for AI startups - and why most won't survive it. Specifically, don’t miss the part where Rustin shares candid views on the current AI bubble. Spoiler alert, he isn’t very happy with Silicon Valley and its ‘throw-cash-at-everything’ VC culture!Chapters00:00 Introductions02:16 An Unexpected Origin Story05:18 Learning the Hard Way in Zero-to-One Land08:31 "Getting the First Job" Might Be the Wrong Goal12:15 The Radiology Crisis Is Impossible to Ignore17:14 What Happens When Demand Explodes and Supply Collapses20:41 Solving This Problem Requires Building a 3-in-123:07 The Strange Dance Between Radiologists and AI Engineers27:52 "Just Make the Model Better" Isn't How AI Works31:46 Medical AI Accuracy & Hidden Technical Battles35:56 Building a Team for an "Impossible" Mission38:47 A Brutal Reality of the AI Talent War41:53 Predictions for 2026 (HINT: The Bubble Must Burst!)Quotes:"I want my tombstone to say, 'This guy solved the radiology shortage and did some other kind of impactful things with medical imaging.'" (16:43) "I think engineers don't fully appreciate how nuanced radiology is and the fact that it's not binary. And a Radiologist A can be very kind of differently opinionated on something than Radiologist B." (28:08) "99% of what's being created today is not very valuable to the world." (39:25) Follow:Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:Music by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

    45 min
  6. The Recruiting Industry's Hidden Crisis: Gem CEO Steve Bartel on Fraud, AI, and the Future of Hiring

    10/09/2025

    The Recruiting Industry's Hidden Crisis: Gem CEO Steve Bartel on Fraud, AI, and the Future of Hiring

    56% more job openings, 3x more applications, but 8 MORE days to fill roles! CEO of Gem.ai shares data that explains why most recruiting careers are about to hit a wall…In this eye-opening conversation, Boris Epstein sits down with Steven Bartel, CEO of Gem.ai, to explore the shocking transformation happening in recruiting right now. From North Korean actors infiltrating hiring processes to AI-generated deepfake interviews, the recruiting landscape has become a battlefield. Steve reveals how recruiters are drowning under 3x more applications while handling 56% more open roles, yet companies refuse to expand recruiting teams. Steve shares exclusive data on how AI is saving companies up to 90% of their application review time and how Gem is embedding AI deeply into recruiting workflows - from sourcing agents to fraud detection - to help recruiters work smarter, not just harder. Tune in to hear them talk about:The Application Apocalypse: Recruiters are experiencing a 3x increase in applications while handling 56% more open roles.The Fraud Arms Race: Fraud in hiring is escalating, with cases of North Korean actors, deepfake interviews, and AI-generated resumes.The Efficiency Revolution: AI is cutting application review time by up to 90% for leading companies.The Human-AI Partnership: Recruiters who embrace AI will outperform those who resist it; AI augments human judgment.The Data-Context Challenge: The future of recruiting AI is about having complete relationship histories and touchpoint data to enable hyper-personalized outreach.Specifically, don't miss Steve's bold prediction on how he expects AI to reshape recruiting over the next few years!Chapters00:00 Highlights from the episode03:45 When Your Interview Is With AI09:08 North Korea's Recruiting Infiltration12:06 The Deepfake Interview Dilemma19:13 Why Recruiters Are Burning Out23:18 Will AI Kill the Recruiting Industry?27:24 FAANG Engineers vs AI Natives - a Recap33:24 The Recruiter's New Role in an AI-First Future41:40 A Bold Prediction About What Comes Next46:29 Solving The Source of Truth ProblemQuotes:"Each recruiter, on average, is dealing with three times the inbound applicants across our customer base. And more than 20% of our customers are getting thousands of applicants for a single role." - Steve Bartel (02:18)"I think some of these folks are using deepfake videos, which are getting surprisingly sophisticated. I've heard this recommendation where companies are going as far as to say 'Hey, can you put your hand in front of your face?'" - Steve Bartel (12:25)"If you talk to most recruiters in the industry, they are working a lot harder than ever before." - Steve Bartel (25:34)"AI is not going to replace recruiters, but recruiters who embrace AI are going to replace the recruiters who don't." - Steve Bartel (43:50)"The hardest part of AI is no longer like the underlying algorithm. [...] The hard part about AI is what data does the AI have actually access to and what kind of context does it have access to..." - Steve Bartel (46:01)Follow:Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:Gem: https://www.gem.comSteve Bartel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-bartel/Gem’s Benchmarks Report 2025: https://www.gem.com/resource/recruiting-benchmarksMusic by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

    51 min
  7. Breaking Into AI: A Former FAANG Recruiter's Inside Guide

    09/27/2025

    Breaking Into AI: A Former FAANG Recruiter's Inside Guide

    On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris Epstein, founder of 1st10 and former FAANG-level recruiter, reveals a shocking reality behind AI startup hiring practices and why the most talented engineers in tech might be getting left behind. Drawing from his decade of experience recruiting for top tech firms like Robinhood, Instacart, and Stripe, Boris explores why AI founders are wary of FAANG talent, what biases drive this perception, and how engineers can adapt to stay relevant. He contrasts grind culture with lifestyle gigs, zero-to-one building with scale, and passion projects with polished résumés. The episode is a wake-up call for FAANG engineers as well as a cautionary tale for startups dismissing valuable talent too quickly.Tune in to hear Boris explain:The Great Talent Paradox: AI startups systematically avoiding FAANG engineers seems to be creating a disconnect between supply and demand in the hiring market.The Hurdles of Work Culture: The 9-to-5 easy-going lifestyle preferred by FAANG engineers versus the 60-70 hour weeks demanded by AI startups is presenting a major hiring barrier.The HP-Internet Moment: Engineers face a stark choice: be part of the AI future or risk obsolescence if they don't adapt quickly.The Zero-to-One Test: Building something from scratch is the ultimate litmus test for AI startup hiring. Specifically, don't miss the part where Boris reveals how the bias shown by AI startups against FAANG talent could backfire and what FAANG engineers need to do, if (when?) that happens.Chapters00:00 Highlights From The Episode01:23 3 Deadly Biases05:18 A Grand Canyon-Sized Gap12:13 The Power of Passion Projects15:03 HP in 1994, FAANG in 2025?22:05 The Case for FAANG Talent28:21 How to Break Into AI33:27 Startups Don’t Wait, Why Should You?37:52 A Market on Collision Course43:31 Why Both Worlds Must Evolve46:33 Do You Want to Be Part of the Future?Quotes:"The reason [AI Startups] are working very hard is because AI is believed to be by these startups (to be) a completely transformational technology, completely transformational opportunity." - Boris Epstein (07:25)"Get off the FAANG bus, get into the AI startup bus!" - Boris Epstein (17:40)"If I had a dollar and I could only put it into one of the two startups, I’d probably bet on the FAANG startup." - Boris Epstein (23:32)"Your resume isn't showing anybody what you could do for them. Your resume is showing the world what you did in the past." - Boris Epstein (30:53)Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Connect with usWebsite: www.1st10.comPodcast: www.1st10.com/podcast Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineersLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:FAANG companies (Facebook/Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_TechLangChain (open-source AI framework) - https://www.langchain.com/Music by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

    48 min
  8. The Wild World of AI M&A: Inside Silicon Valley's Billion-Dollar Talent War with M&A Expert Sara Ali

    09/21/2025

    The Wild World of AI M&A: Inside Silicon Valley's Billion-Dollar Talent War with M&A Expert Sara Ali

    In this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris Epstein sits down with Sara Ali, Senior Director of Corporate Development & Strategy at Yahoo, to dissect the frenzy around AI-driven M&A. From Meta's $14.3 billion partial acquisition of Scale AI to Google's talent-grab deals with Character.AI, Sara breaks down the creative deal structures that are bypassing regulatory scrutiny while commanding unprecedented valuations. With her engineering background and 12+ years in M&A across companies like Robinhood, Google, and Microsoft's M12 venture arm, Sara reveals why traditional revenue multiples no longer apply in AI, how "scarcity multiples" are driving billion-dollar talent acquisitions, and what this means for engineers and founders navigating this chaotic landscape.Tune in to hear them talk about:The Regulatory Loophole Era: Creative deal structures, like non-voting stakes and licensing agreements, are allowing tech giants to acquire AI talent and assets while sidestepping regulatory reviews.Talent Is the New Gold: AI deals today aren't about revenue multiples - they're about "scarcity multiples" i.e., locking in talent and know-how before competitors do.M&A Budget vs HR Budget: Corporate development and HR departments operate with completely different compensation constraints, enabling acquired talent to earn 10-20x what traditionally-hired engineers make.Equity Is NOT Important: Being deemed "key talent" during an acquisition can be more lucrative than initial startup equity. Specifically, don't miss the part where Sara boldly predicts how GPU access might be used as a bargaining chip in future M&A deals.Chapters00:00 Highlights from the episode02:07 Sara's Journey05:15 Yahoo's Quiet Renaissance08:10 Decoding Corporate Development Secrets11:18 Why AI Is Too Big to Miss14:25 The Meta-Scale Play: "Have Your Cake, Eat It Too!"18:18 How Big Tech Skips the Regulators23:30 Winners, Losers, and Others28:25 Scarcity Multiples and Startup Shells31:09 The $100 Million Question38:43 Meta Brakes But M&A Won't Stop41:07 The Early Engineer's Survival Guide47:04 A Playbook For Founder's Playbook50:27 Sara's Bold Prediction about GPUsQuotes:"Meta gets all the benefits of owning Scale.AI but none of the regulatory headache." - Sara Ali (17:25)"No one really knows how the market is going to settle, but everyone knows that they can't just sit around and wait for it. Otherwise, they're going to miss." - Sara Ali (31:31)"While we may have to pay equity for base salary, you could end up getting millions of dollars of an equity grant and an acquired-engineer maybe making 10x, 20x what a regularly-hired engineer might make." - Sara Ali (33:55)"In AI specifically, more than any other space right now, the caliber of your team is crucial." - Sara Ali (48:01)Follow:Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:Music by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

    54 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to 1st10 Podcast, where we dive deep into the world of building early engineering teams. Join us as we sit down with engineers, founders, and investors to uncover the strategies, challenges, and successes behind assembling and nurturing the foundational teams that drive innovation. Whether you're a startup enthusiast, a tech leader, or an aspiring entrepreneur, our conversations provide valuable insights and practical advice on crafting the perfect engineering team from the ground up. Tune in to learn from the best and get inspired to build your own successful early-stage team.

Information

  • Creator
    1st10podcast
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 1st10podcast
  • Show Website
    1st10 Podcast