Sriram and Aarthi are joined by Gokul Rajaram who is a Silicon Valley icon. Gokul has done it all - founder, angel investor, executive at the best of the best technology companies such as Facebook and Google, and best of all, a good friend and guide to Aarthi and Sriram during their career inflection points. We covered everything from Paul Graham’s famous essay on Founder Mode, Gokul’s experience working with Mark Zuckerberg and Larry and Sergey, his hot takes on AI startups, and the current fundraising climate.
0:00 - Intro
1:10 - Meet Gokul Rajaram, on the Mount Rushmore of Silicon Valley
2:19 - Gokul's relationship with Aarthi and Sriram
4:00 - What is Founder Mode? And Zuck's Micromanagement
6:33 - Founder Mode Vs Management Mode
8:26 - Why Gokul disagrees with Paul Graham
10:56 - Learnings from Google’s Larry and Sergey
15:58 - What were early days at Google like?
18:58 - What makes a great CEO?
20: 42 - How to engage with high performing executives
25:45 - Why Gokul left Google to launch his own startup
28:53 - Chamath's Acquisition offer
31:30 - Fundraising advice for founders
34:13 - Gokul’s HOT take on AI startups
38:10 - The evolving consumer apps landscape
40:55 - Career Advice for young people
48:00 - When is the right time to start a company?
52:17 - Why titles don't matter
1:01: 45 - Why Gokul left Facebook to join Square
1:06:46 - Regret Minimization Framework
1:07:28 - Gokul's Best Bet - Doordash
1:13:18 - Doordash’s secret hiring process
1:16:11 - Sriram’s favorite interview question
1:17:30 - Gokul’s advice for first time founders
1:20:10 - Final Thoughts