In November 2014, Brian Crofts prepared for a crucial meeting with two top-level executives at Intuit. One was CeCe Morken, his boss, overseeing Intuit’s Professional Tax (ProTax) business—a $422 million enterprise selling tax preparation software to accountants. The other was Sasan Goodarzi, in charge of Intuit’s $1.8 billion TurboTax division, providing software directly to consumers. Crofts had spent three years developing a new product, TurboTax PersonalPro, bridging the gap between these...

You will be treated to the fascinating beginnings of Pendo, a product experience platform company now valued at over two and a half billion dollars. We'll highlight Pendo's growth from an initial sponsor to a prominent supporter of product conferences. Todd Olson, Pendo's CEO, joins to recount his journey prior to Pendo at Rally Software and the subsequent challenges that inspired the creation of Pendo. Todd delves into the significance of the close-knit founding team and their collective...

In this episode of Rocketship.fm, hosts Michael Sacca and Mike Belsito take listeners through an in-depth examination of the pivotal business concept known as product market fit. They begin by acknowledging that, despite frequently using the term, they haven't fully dissected its meaning in previous episodes. They outline the importance of product market fit, describing it as a critical transition point that can propel a startup from uncertainty to being a market leader or at least...

Are you keeping up with the TikTok saga? The tides are shifting yet again, and this time the app faces a significant crossroad in the United States. Join us on the latest episode of Rocketship.fm as we delve into the complexities surrounding TikTok's potential ban and what it could mean for the tech industry and beyond. This podcast is brought to you by: Go to http://porkbun.com/RocketshipFM24 to get $1 off your next desired domain name at Porkbun! Miro: Go to Miro.com/podcast and get your...

In this episode, Michael Sacca and Michael Belsito drop some major news before diving into the latest developments in the AI space. They discuss the tempered expectations surrounding generative AI and its impact on tech giants and consumers alike. Amidst the AI hype, companies are cautious about investing in new AI services due to high costs and questionable productivity gains. Later, they explore the product-market fit journey of Sprig, a product research platform, with CEO Ryan Glasglow....

In this episode, join us as we revisit the predictions made last year and assess their impact on the tech landscape. The forecast of an impending recession, particularly hitting the tech sector first, has proven true, with notable companies facing multiple rounds of layoffs. The unsettling trend of stocks rising amidst job cuts continues to raise eyebrows, painting a complex economic picture. On a brighter note, the prediction that AI is here to stay is reaffirmed. Far from being a passing...

On todays episdoe we discuss Dagster, a data orchestration platform developed by Dagster Labs, founded by Nick Schrock in 2018. Schrock, known for co-founding GraphQL, envisioned Dagster as a solution to the challenges of managing complex data pipelines reliably and at scale. The discussion centers on exploring Dagster's history, particularly focusing on the journey to finding product-market fit. Sacca mentions his recent interview with Pedram Navid, the Head of Data Engineering and DevRel at...

Mike Belsito and Michael Sacca reflect on the common occurrence in the consumer tech industry where new competitor products emerge to overshadow original popular products, citing examples like the iPhone overtaking the Blackberry and Facebook surpassing MySpace. They discuss the rarity of a new competitor product being priced significantly higher than the original, such as the iPhone compared to the Blackberry's price point. This conversation leads them to introduce the main focus of the...

Today, hosts Michael Sacca and Mike Belsito dive into the intricacies of a product that has sparked both admiration and frustration among its users: Asana. As they unpack Asana's evolution, they explore its inception by co-founders Justin Rosenstein and Dustin Moskovitz, with Dustin's departure from Facebook marking the genesis of a vision for modernizing project management. From its beta days to the 2011 public launch, Asana's rapid growth and intuitive interface captured the hearts of...

Tune in to the latest episode of Rocketship.FM as hosts Mike Belsito and Michael Sacca dive into the exciting world of tech products and innovations. In this episode, they explore recent developments from the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and discuss the latest trends shaping the tech landscape. From deepfake robocalls impersonating political figures to groundbreaking AI-powered devices like the rabbit r1, listeners will gain insight into the ethical implications and practical...

The podcast episode discusses Andrew Wilkinson's entrepreneurial journey, particularly focusing on his founding of the company Flow, a task tracking and productivity app for teams and small businesses. The conversation delves into the challenges faced by Flow as a bootstrapped business in a competitive market dominated by venture-backed giants like Asana. Despite their focus on product design and passionate user base, Flow struggled to compete against well-funded competitors like Asana, which...

In the first episode of 2024, hosts Mike Belsito and Michael Sacca kick off the new year with a fresh format. Introducing a segment on Product News and featuring insightful interviews, they dive into the evolving realm of Product Operations. With a special focus on the recently published book "Product Operations: How Successful Companies Build Product at Scale" by Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles, the hosts explore the origins, necessity, and future trends of Product Operations. Unpacking...

Today we talk with Ben Foster the Chief Product Officer at GoCanvas and former product manager at Ebay. Ben is a wealth of Product knowledge and experience and today we discuss the topic of A/B testing and how he's evolved his focus to be vision driven so that he doesn't miss the big opportunities to solve customer problems. This was a hard learned lesson and we hear about his experience A/B testing features with moderate success and what caused him to shift if focus. This podcast is brought...

The history of Nintendo traces back to 1889, when it was founded to produce handmade hanafuda. Nintendo Co., Ltd. (任天堂株式会社, Nintendō kabushikigaisha) is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It eventually became one of the most prominent figures in today's video game industry, being the world's largest video game company by revenue. Today we explore their 130 year history from making handmade playing cards to one of the largest video game console...

From his first awkward pitch to investor Chris Sacca, to their acquisition by Spotify, Alex Blumburg has built one of the most influential companies working in Podcasts today. The company was founded in 2014 by Alex Blumberg and Matthew Lieber, who serve as the company's CEO and president respectively. In February 2019, Spotify announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Gimlet for $230 million. This podcast is brought to you by: Miro: Go to Miro.com/podcast and get your...

Mike's in a bit of a predicament. His 10-year-old son is asking for a phone. But like many parents, Mike isn't sure when the right time is to get his kid his first phone. On this episode, we weigh the positives and negatives of getting a phone, and look at how parents can be proactive in handling their children's phone use. This podcast is brought to you by: Shopify: Start selling on Shopify today. Go to Shopify.com/Rocketship now. Ampla: Go to getampla.com to fill out your five minute...

Join us as we explore the intricate relationship between human authors and AI content generation. We'll navigate the complexities of this debate at the heart of the writer's strike. Is AI an innovation to embrace or a challenge to confront? What does it mean for the future of literature, journalism, and storytelling? This podcast is brought to you by: Miro: Go to Miro.com/podcast and get your first three Miro boards free forever. Hubspot: Listen to The Science of Scaling wherever you get your...

Effective Accelerationism, abbreviated as e/acc, represents a collection of ideas and practices geared towards maximizing the likelihood of reaching the technocapital singularity. This movement aims to create an environment where emergent consciousness can thrive. Influential figures in the tech industry, such as Marc Andreessen, have shown their support by incorporating "e/acc" into their usernames. The movement's mascot is an enigmatic "tech founder" known as Beff Jezos. E/acc, short for...

Bloomfilter is a process intelligence platform for software development. Their whole mission is built on the belief that businesses rely on software development to solve problems and deliver a better user experience. However, software development projects are notorious for missing deadlines and budget estimates. There’s some research that even shows that 2/3 of software projects are either challenged or fail altogether, while 70% of software projects are delivered late, over budget, or are...

We delve into the shadowy world of cybercrime and international geopolitics as we unravel the Lazarus Project, a covert operation that has sent shockwaves through the tech industry. Join us in linking a series of high-profile hacks to North Korea's clandestine nuclear weapons program. Unveiling the unsettling symbiosis between the world of technology and global security, this episode explores how seemingly innocuous tech products, when compromised, inadvertently become the lifeblood of North...

In this episode, we explore the highly anticipated return to the office and the ongoing debate about productivity. Is the office the ultimate productivity booster, or have remote work's newfound freedoms improved our efficiency? Join us as we dissect the pros and cons of each work environment and hear from individuals who've made the choice. Whether you're team office or team remote, this episode will help you navigate the productivity landscape in our post-pandemic world. This podcast is...

Numerous factors can cause new products to fail. The biggest problem we’ve encountered is a lack of preparation: Companies are so focused on designing and manufacturing new products that they postpone the hard work of getting ready to market them until too late in the game. Today we'll discuss 3 of the key reasons products fail along with case studies so you don't make the same mistakes. This podcast is brought to you by: Miro: Go to Miro.com/podcast and get your first three Miro boards free...

We delve into the world of humanoid robots, highlighting their journey from past disappointments to their current state of development. We'll discuss recent advancements in their mobility and capabilities, including their use in Disney's live shows. We also raise questions about the societal impact of these robots and tease an upcoming segment and even talk to the robots themselves. This podcast is brought to you by: Miro: Go to Miro.com/podcast and get your first three Miro boards free...

Dive into the fascinating world of instant messaging as we explore its evolution from the iconic AIM to the revolutionary XMPP protocol. Uncover the challenges faced by AOL in enforcing open standards and the rise of decentralized networks. Join us on this captivating journey through the history of instant messaging, where innovation, legal battles, and the power of open-source solutions converge. All in an attempt to shed light on the past, present, and future of our digital...