Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Tobi Lütke is the founder and CEO of Shopify, a $130 billion business that powers over 10% of all U.S. e-commerce. Starting as a snowboard shop in 2004, Shopify has become the leading commerce platform by consistently approaching problems differently. Tobi remains deeply technical, frequently coding alongside his team, and is known for his unique approach to leadership, product development, and company building. In our conversation, we discuss: • Why complexity kills entrepreneurship • How to develop and leverage your unique talent stack • How specifically Tobi approaches thinking from first principles • The importance of focusing on unquantifiable qualities like joy and delight • Why Tobi works backward from a 100-year vision • Why metrics should support decisions, not make them • The power of following your curiosity • What Tobi believes it takes to be a great product leader • Much more — Brought to you by: • Sinch [https://sinch.com/lenny]—Build messaging, email, and calling into your product • Liveblocks [https://liveblocks.io/lenny]—Ready-made collaborative features to drop into your product • Loom [http://loom.com/lenny]—The easiest screen recorder you’ll ever use — Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook] — Where to find Tobi Lütke: • X: https://x.com/tobi [https://x.com/tobi] • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiaslutke/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiaslutke/] • Website: https://tobi.lutke.com/ [https://tobi.lutke.com/] — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com] • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan [https://twitter.com/lennysan] • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/] — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcome and introduction (04:17) The Tobi tornado (07:10) Maximizing human potential (11:05) Education and personal growth (16:47) Operating without KPIs (25:00) First-principles thinking (40:04) Remote work (45:59) Why Tobi never stopped coding (54:46) Embracing disagreement (01:01:27) The 100-year vision (01:09:29) Balancing tactics and positioning (01:17:15) Encouraging entrepreneurship (01:19:34) The power of good UX (01:28:42) The talent stack and unique opportunities (01:34:30) The role of passion in product development (01:36:39) Final thoughts and farewell — Referenced: • How Shopify builds a high-intensity culture | Farhan Thawar (VP and Head of Eng): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-shopify-builds-a-high-intensity-culture-farhan-thawar [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-shopify-builds-a-high-intensity-culture-farhan-thawar] • Breaking the rules of growth: Why Shopify bans KPIs, optimizes for churn, prioritizes intuition, and builds toward a 100-year vision | Archie Abrams (VP Product, Head of Growth at Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/shopifys-growth-archie-abrams [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/shopifys-growth-archie-abrams] • The ultimate guide to performance marketing | Timothy Davis (Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/performance-marketing-timothy-davis [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/performance-marketing-timothy-davis] • Brandon Chu on building product at Shopify, how writing changed the trajectory of his career, the habits that make you a great PM, pros and cons of being a platform PM, how Shopify got through Covid: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brandon-chu-on-what-its-like-to-build [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brandon-chu-on-what-its-like-to-build] • IRC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRC [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRC] • Goodhart’s law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law] • Glen Coates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glcoates/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/glcoates/] • How Shopify builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-shopify-builds-product [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-shopify-builds-product] • The Last Dance on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80203144 [https://www.netflix.com/title/80203144] • Autoregressive Models for Natural Language Processing: https://medium.com/@zaiinn440/autoregressive-models-for-natural-language-processing-b95e5f933e1f [https://medium.com/@zaiinn440/autoregressive-models-for-natural-language-processing-b95e5f933e1f] • Archimedean property: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedean_property [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedean_property] • Tabula rasa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabula_rasa [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabula_rasa] • Daniel Weinand on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielweinand/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielweinand/?originalSubdomain=ca] • World of Warcraft: https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com [https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com] • Harley Finkelstein on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harleyf/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/harleyf/] • Monorepo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monorepo [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monorepo] • The Sarbanes Oxley Act: https://sarbanes-oxley-act.com/ [https://sarbanes-oxley-act.com/] • Shopify builds Shopify Balance with Stripe to give small businesses an easier way to manage money: https://stripe.com/customers/shopify [https://stripe.com/customers/shopify] • Stanford marshmallow experiment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment] • Brian Armstrong on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barmstrong/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/barmstrong/] • We are the Web: https://link.wired.com/public/32945405 [https://link.wired.com/public/32945405] — Recommended books: • Finite and Infinite Games: https://www.amazon.com/Finite-Infinite-Games-James-Carse/dp/1476731713 [https://www.amazon.com/Finite-Infinite-Games-James-Carse/dp/1476731713] • The Infinite Game: https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Game-Simon-Sinek/dp/073521350X/ [https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Game-Simon-Sinek/dp/073521350X/] — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/ [https://penname.co/]. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com [podcast@lennyrachitsky.com]. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Nan Yu is the head of product at Linear, one of the most beloved and fastest-growing B2B SaaS products out there today, and the gold standard for high-performing tech teams. In our conversation, we discuss: • Why speed and quality aren’t actually at odds • Linear’s unique approach to product development • Nan’s systematic approach to creativity • Linear’s philosophy on deadlines • The “double triangle” framework for product management • Nan’s approach to landing his dream product roles • Much more — Brought to you by: • Sinch [https://sinch.com/lenny]—Build messaging, email, and calling into your product • Paragon [https://www.useparagon.com/lenny]—Ship every SaaS integration your customers want • Wix Studio [https://www.wix.com/studio?utm_source=Lennyspodcast&utm_medium=Podcastad&utm_campaign=SL]—The web creation platform built for agencies — Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/linears-secret-to-building-beloved-b2b-products-nan-yu [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/linears-secret-to-building-beloved-b2b-products-nan-yu] — Where to find Nan Yu: • X: https://x.com/thenanyu [https://x.com/thenanyu] • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenanyu/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenanyu/] — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com] • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan [https://twitter.com/lennysan] • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/] — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction to Nan Yu and Linear (04:54) Survey insights: Linear vs. Jira (07:51) The speed vs. quality myth (09:24) Building and iterating quickly (15:31) Avoiding bloat in enterprise software (23:57) Understanding user needs deeply (30:09) How to approach customer calls (34:10) Creating strong emotional hooks (40:31) Managing the product backlog (44:46) Systemizing creativity (48:16) Demo: Saving drafts in Linear (51:38) Breaking constraints and building at extremes (54:15) Adopting new tools (58:22) The “double triangle” framework for product management (01:04:23) Effective job-hunting strategies for PMs (01:09:15) Thoughts on deadlines (01:14:15) Lightning round — Referenced: • Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira [https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira] • Linear: https://linear.app/ [https://linear.app/] • Patrick Collison’s post on X: https://x.com/patrickc/status/1869422495985750459 [https://x.com/patrickc/status/1869422495985750459] • Magnus Carlsen on X: https://x.com/magnuscarlsen [https://x.com/magnuscarlsen] • Hikaru Nakamura on X: https://x.com/gmhikaru [https://x.com/gmhikaru] • Geoffrey Moore on finding your beachhead, crossing the chasm, and dominating a market: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/geoffrey-moore-on-finding-your-beachhead [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/geoffrey-moore-on-finding-your-beachhead] • Customer Request feature on Linear: https://linear.app/customer-requests [https://linear.app/customer-requests] • Everlane: https://www.everlane.com/ [https://www.everlane.com/] • Schlep Blindness: https://paulgraham.com/schlep.html [https://paulgraham.com/schlep.html] • Linear’s triage tool: https://linear.app/docs/triage [https://linear.app/docs/triage] • Patrick Collison’s post about mental models on X: https://x.com/patrickc/status/1443215022029619200 [https://x.com/patrickc/status/1443215022029619200] • Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach] • Unpacking Amazon’s unique ways of working | Bill Carr (author of Working Backwards): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/unpacking-amazons-unique-ways-of [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/unpacking-amazons-unique-ways-of] • Mode: https://mode.com/ [https://mode.com/] • The Diplomat on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81288983 [https://www.netflix.com/title/81288983] • Sakura Micron pens: https://www.amazon.com/SAKURA-PIGMA-MICRON-ESSENTIAL-COLORS/dp/B07VJFXT3C/ [https://www.amazon.com/SAKURA-PIGMA-MICRON-ESSENTIAL-COLORS/dp/B07VJFXT3C/] — Recommended books: • Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers: https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-3rd-Disruptive-Mainstream/dp/0062292986 [https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-3rd-Disruptive-Mainstream/dp/0062292986] • The Design of Everyday Things: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded/dp/0465050654/ [https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded/dp/0465050654/] — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/ [https://penname.co/]. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com [podcast@lennyrachitsky.com]. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Chandra Janakiraman is the chief product officer, executive vice president, and a board member at VRChat. Previously, he was a product leader at Meta, where he led Facebook’s social experience interfaces and Reality Labs’ growth; served as CPO at Headspace, where he helped relaunch the platform, driving a 4x subscriber boost; and was a GM at Zynga, delivering massive hit games that reached hundreds of millions. In our conversation, Chandra shares: • His playbook for developing a product strategy • The difference between “small s” and “big S” strategy • How to run strategy sprints • Who should be involved in strategy work • Common pitfalls in strategy development • The role of AI in future strategy development • More — Brought to you by: • Eppo [https://www.geteppo.com/]—Run reliable, impactful experiments • Airtable ProductCentral [https://www.airtable.com/lenny]—Launch to new heights with a unified system for product development • OneSchema [https://oneschema.co/lenny]—Import CSV data 10x faster — Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/an-operators-guide-to-product-strategy-chandra-janakiraman [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/an-operators-guide-to-product-strategy-chandra-janakiraman] — Where to find Chandra Janakiraman: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandramohanj/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandramohanj/] — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com] • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan [https://twitter.com/lennysan] • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/] — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Chandra’s background (04:47) The importance of strategy (12:40) Defining product strategy (15:42) Developing a winning strategy: an overview (18:51) The preparation phase (30:46) The strategy sprint process (45:51) The design sprint (51:19) Document writing (57:39) Rolling out your strategy (01:01:28) Resourcing and roadmapping (01:04:42) Strategy lessons from Zynga (01:11:34) Strategy lessons from Meta (01:15:55) Big S strategy (01:26:58) AI in strategy formulation (01:38:12) Final thoughts and lightning round — Referenced: • Headspace: https://www.headspace.com/ [https://www.headspace.com/] • Good Strategy, Bad Strategy | Richard Rumelt: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/good-strategy-bad-strategy-richard [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/good-strategy-bad-strategy-richard] • 5 essential questions to craft a winning strategy | Roger Martin (author, advisor, speaker): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-strategy-roger-martin [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-strategy-roger-martin] • VRChat: https://hello.vrchat.com/ [https://hello.vrchat.com/] • Andrew Chen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmandrewchen/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmandrewchen/] • Template: Working Backwards PR FAQ: https://www.workingbackwards.com/resources/working-backwards-pr-faq [https://www.workingbackwards.com/resources/working-backwards-pr-faq] • How LinkedIn became interesting: The inside story | Tomer Cohen (CPO at LinkedIn): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-linkedin-became-interesting-tomer-cohen [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-linkedin-became-interesting-tomer-cohen] • Making time for what matters | Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky (authors of Sprint and Make Time, co-founders of Character Capital): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/making-time-for-what-matters-jake [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/making-time-for-what-matters-jake] • Identify your bullseye customer in one day | Michael Margolis (UX Research Partner at Google Ventures): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/finding-your-bullseye-customer-michael-margolis [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/finding-your-bullseye-customer-michael-margolis] • Chandra’s flow chart: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SLmQ0oRFadzJnNM3MJetnLUvB18U4W4GXU4KtJ2ujEQ/edit?tab=t.0 [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SLmQ0oRFadzJnNM3MJetnLUvB18U4W4GXU4KtJ2ujEQ/edit?tab=t.0] • Chandra’s strategy template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iNeYUaMnpicvkpVZO-gj9cCxLeHfWN0xtGm_QoxgemE/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.5d3jz6v86yrs [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iNeYUaMnpicvkpVZO-gj9cCxLeHfWN0xtGm_QoxgemE/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.5d3jz6v86yrs] • Zynga: https://www.zynga.com/ [https://www.zynga.com/] • David Foster Wallace’s quote about water: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/97082-there-are-these-two-young-fish-swimming-along-and-they [https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/97082-there-are-these-two-young-fish-swimming-along-and-they] • Oculus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oculus [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oculus] • Elon Musk’s quote: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wf8TadbGYok [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wf8TadbGYok] • Concept car: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_car [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_car] • Acquired podcast: The Mark Zuckerberg interview: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/the-mark-zuckerberg-interview [https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/the-mark-zuckerberg-interview] • Armand Ruiz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armand-ruiz/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/armand-ruiz/] • What is a multi-armed bandit? Full explanation: https://amplitude.com/explore/experiment/multi-armed-bandit [https://amplitude.com/explore/experiment/multi-armed-bandit] • IF on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/IF-John-Krasinski/dp/B0CW19SCVW [https://www.amazon.com/IF-John-Krasinski/dp/B0CW19SCVW] • Dune: Part 2 on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/dune-part-two/umc.cmc.363aycnv6vy9qgekvew6fveb9 [https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/dune-part-two/umc.cmc.363aycnv6vy9qgekvew6fveb9] • Dune Prophecy on Max: https://www.max.com/shows/dune-prophecy-2024/57660b16-a32a-476f-89da-3302ac379e91 [https://www.max.com/shows/dune-prophecy-2024/57660b16-a32a-476f-89da-3302ac379e91] • Capybara Go on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/ph/app/capybara-go/id6596787726 [https://apps.apple.com/ph/app/capybara-go/id6596787726] • Bluesky: https://bsky.app/ [https://bsky.app/] • Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jobs-Lost-Interview/dp/B01IJD1BES [https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jobs-Lost-Interview/dp/B01IJD1BES] — Recommended books: • The Art of War: https://www.amazon.com/Art-War-Sun-Tzu/dp/1599869772 [https://www.amazon.com/Art-War-Sun-Tzu/dp/1599869772] • Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors: https://www.amazon.com/Competitive-Strategy-Techniques-Industries-Competitors/dp/0684841487/ [https://www.amazon.com/Competitive-Strategy-Techniques-Industries-Competitors/dp/0684841487/] • Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Strategy-Bad-Difference-Matters/dp/0307886239/ [https://www.amazon.com/Good-Strategy-Bad-Difference-Matters/dp/0307886239/] • Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Win-Strategy-Really-Works/dp/142218739X [https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Win-Strategy-Really-Works/dp/142218739X] • Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Time-Focus-Matters-Every/dp/0525572422 [https://www.amazon.com/Make-Time-Focus-Matters-Every/dp/0525572422] • Sprint: https://www.amazon.com/SPRINT-Jake-Zeratsky-Knapp/dp/0593076117 [https://www.amazon.com/SPRINT-Jake-Zeratsky-Knapp/dp/0593076117] • Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination: https://www.amazon.com/Walt-Disney-Triumph-American-Imagination/dp/0679757473 [https://www.amazon.com/Walt-Disney-Triumph-American-Imagination/dp/0679757473] • Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration: https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649/ [https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649/] • The Ten Faces of Innovation: Strategies for Heightening Creativity: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385512074 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385512074] — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/ [https://penname.co/]. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com [podcast@lennyrachitsky.com]. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Elena Verna is one of Silicon Valley’s most sought-after growth advisors and operators. She previously led growth at companies like Amplitude, Miro, Dropbox, and SurveyMonkey and is currently doing full-time advising for high-growth tech companies. In our conversation, Elena and I discuss: • 10 growth tactics that never work • Her 3 favorite growth frameworks • How to increase your career optionality — Brought to you by: • Sinch [https://sinch.com/lenny]—Build messaging, email, and calling into your product • Vanta [https://vanta.com/lenny]—Automate compliance. Simplify security • OneSchema [https://oneschema.co/lenny]—Import CSV data 10x faster — Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/10-growth-tactics-that-never-work-elena-verna [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/10-growth-tactics-that-never-work-elena-verna] — Where to find Elena Verna: • Newsletter: https://www.elenaverna.com/ [https://www.elenaverna.com/] • X: https://x.com/elenaverna [https://x.com/elenaverna] • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaverna [https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaverna] — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com] • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan [https://twitter.com/lennysan] • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/] — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcome back, Elena! (06:02) Common mistakes growth teams make (08:31) #1: Hiring for growth roles too soon (15:09) #2: Hiring a head of growth to fix your problems (19:20) #3: Doing a rebrand to drive growth (25:11) #4: Obsessing over your competition (34:00) #5: Believing that your problems are unique (42:32) #6: Prioritizing other growth channels above earned channels (50:55) #7: Failing to evolve your growth model (01:01:06) #8: Not hiring advisors (01:05:55) #9: Over-experimenting (01:10:44) #10: Color optimizations, third-party signups, one-email wonders, and removing friction (01:15:00) Elena’s favorite growth frameworks (01:18:50) Contrarian corner: full-time jobs (01:26:05) Lightning round and final thoughts — Referenced: • Elena Verna on how B2B growth is changing, product-led growth, product-led sales, why you should go freemium not trial, what features to make free, and much more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/elena-verna-on-why-every-company [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/elena-verna-on-why-every-company] • The ultimate guide to product-led sales | Elena Verna: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-product-led [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-product-led] • Six rules of hiring for growth: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/hiring-growth [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/hiring-growth] • Figma: https://www.figma.com/ [https://www.figma.com/] • Miro: https://www.figma.com/ [https://www.figma.com/] • Notion: https://www.figma.com/ [https://www.figma.com/] • Carol Wong on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-wong-14133927/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-wong-14133927/] • Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/ [https://www.dropbox.com/] • The Law of Shitty Clickthroughs: https://andrewchen.com/the-law-of-shitty-clickthroughs/ [https://andrewchen.com/the-law-of-shitty-clickthroughs/] • Miroverse: https://miro.com/miroverse/ [https://miro.com/miroverse/] • GitHub: https://github.com/ [https://github.com/] • My 9 Favorite Growth Frameworks: https://www.elenaverna.com/p/my-9-favorite-growth-frameworks [https://www.elenaverna.com/p/my-9-favorite-growth-frameworks] • Growth Loops are the New Funnels: https://www.reforge.com/blog/growth-loops [https://www.reforge.com/blog/growth-loops] • Racecar Growth Framework: https://www.reforge.com/blog/racecar-growth-framework [https://www.reforge.com/blog/racecar-growth-framework] • The Adjacent User: https://andrewchen.com/the-adjacent-user-theory/ [https://andrewchen.com/the-adjacent-user-theory/] • Unorthodox frameworks for growing your product, career, and impact | Bangaly Kaba (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Instacart): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/frameworks-for-growing-your-career-bangaly-kaba [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/frameworks-for-growing-your-career-bangaly-kaba] • Why I’m Unquitting Full-Time Roles: https://www.elenaverna.com/p/why-im-unquitting-full-time-roles [https://www.elenaverna.com/p/why-im-unquitting-full-time-roles] • Noah Smith’s newsletter: https://www.noahpinion.blog/ [https://www.noahpinion.blog/] • Beef on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81447461 [https://www.netflix.com/title/81447461] • Veep on Max: https://www.max.com/shows/veep/37cb4217-c710-4166-8e9f-352a61f2cd3a [https://www.max.com/shows/veep/37cb4217-c710-4166-8e9f-352a61f2cd3a] • The Last of Us on Max: https://www.max.com/shows/last-of-us/93ba22b1-833e-47ba-ae94-8ee7b9eefa9a [https://www.max.com/shows/last-of-us/93ba22b1-833e-47ba-ae94-8ee7b9eefa9a] • Heated boots: https://www.amazon.com/heated-boots/s?k=heated+boots [https://www.amazon.com/heated-boots/s?k=heated+boots] • Airpods Max: https://www.apple.com/airpods-max/ [https://www.apple.com/airpods-max/] • Memes by Elena: https://www.elenaverna.com/p/ten-funniest-growth-memes [https://www.elenaverna.com/p/ten-funniest-growth-memes] — Recommended books: • Project Hail Mary: https://www.amazon.com/Project-Hail-Mary-Andy-Weir/dp/0593135229/ [https://www.amazon.com/Project-Hail-Mary-Andy-Weir/dp/0593135229/] • The Martian: https://www.amazon.com/Martian-Andy-Weir/dp/0553418025 [https://www.amazon.com/Martian-Andy-Weir/dp/0553418025] • We Are Legion (Bobiverse #1): https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/1680680587 [https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/1680680587] • Fire Upon the Deep: https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Upon-Deep-Zones-Thought/dp/0812515285 [https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Upon-Deep-Zones-Thought/dp/0812515285] — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/ [https://penname.co/]. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com [podcast@lennyrachitsky.com]. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Graham Weaver teaches a top-rated course at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (GSB), where he often unexpectedly ends up helping students figure out what to do with their lives. He is also the founder and CEO of Alpine Investors, a people-driven private equity firm. In our conversation, we discuss: • Why everything worthwhile requires suffering • Why most people operate on autopilot, and how to break free • The “genie methodology” for discovering your true path • The Nine Lives exercise for exploring different life possibilities • How to overcome limiting beliefs that hold you back • Why “not now” is often just another way of saying “never” • More — Brought to you by: • Merge [http://merge.dev/lenny]—A single API to add hundreds of integrations into your app • Persona [https://withpersona.com/lenny]—A global leader in digital identity verification • Liveblocks [https://liveblocks.io/lenny]—Ready-made collaborative features to drop into your product — Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-break-out-of-autopilot-graham-weaver [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-break-out-of-autopilot-graham-weaver] — Where to find Graham Weaver: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-weaver-2b79 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-weaver-2b79] • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grahamcweaver [https://www.instagram.com/grahamcweaver] • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@grahamcweaver [https://www.youtube.com/@grahamcweaver] • Website: https://www.grahamweaver.com [https://www.grahamweaver.com] • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@grahamcweaver [https://www.tiktok.com/@grahamcweaver] — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com] • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan [https://twitter.com/lennysan] • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/] — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Graham’s background (05:30) Helping students find their true path (07:40) The genie methodology (12:36) Breaking free from autopilot mode (17:54) Identifying and overcoming limiting beliefs (20:33) Teaching entrepreneurship and personal fulfillment (22:53) The reality of long-term success (35:14) The role of accountability and executive coaching (40:22) Daily goal setting for success (43:11) The Nine Lives framework (48:01) The dangers of the “not now” mentality (55:27) Navigating life’s transitions (57:19) Failure corner (01:00:24) When to quit and when to persevere (01:02:18) Final thoughts and lightning round — Referenced: • Setting Goals: Demystified: https://www.grahamweaver.com/blog/goals [https://www.grahamweaver.com/blog/goals] • Tony Robbins’s website: https://www.tonyrobbins.com [https://www.tonyrobbins.com] • Alpine Investors: https://alpineinvestors.com [https://alpineinvestors.com] • Stanford GSB Last Lecture 2024—How to Live Your Life at Full Power: https://www.grahamweaver.com/blog/stanford-graduate-business-school-last-lecture-2024 [https://www.grahamweaver.com/blog/stanford-graduate-business-school-last-lecture-2024] • I turned 50 today. Here is the most important thing I learned in my first half century: https://www.grahamweaver.com/blog/turning-50 [https://www.grahamweaver.com/blog/turning-50] • Where the Crawdads Sing on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Crawdads-Sing-Daisy-Edgar-Jones/dp/B0B5KBKDNL [https://www.amazon.com/Where-Crawdads-Sing-Daisy-Edgar-Jones/dp/B0B5KBKDNL] • Chilipad Cube Bed Cooling System: https://www.amazon.com/Chilipad-Cube-Bed-Cooling-System/dp/B07GT9MYRW [https://www.amazon.com/Chilipad-Cube-Bed-Cooling-System/dp/B07GT9MYRW] • Sleepme OOLER Sleep System: https://www.amazon.com/OOLER-Sleep-System-Temperature-Integration/dp/B07RX8LT9G [https://www.amazon.com/OOLER-Sleep-System-Temperature-Integration/dp/B07RX8LT9G] • Eightsleep: https://www.eightsleep.com [https://www.eightsleep.com] • Howard Thurman’s quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6273-don-t-ask-what-the-world-needs-ask-what-makes-you [https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6273-don-t-ask-what-the-world-needs-ask-what-makes-you] — Recommended books: • Switch: How to Change Things when Change Is Hard: https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752 [https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752] • The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself: https://www.amazon.com/Untethered-Soul-Journey-Beyond-Yourself/dp/1572245379 [https://www.amazon.com/Untethered-Soul-Journey-Beyond-Yourself/dp/1572245379] • Don’t Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is the Beginning and End of Suffering: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Believe-Everything-Think-Expanded/dp/B0D47VYQMY [https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Believe-Everything-Think-Expanded/dp/B0D47VYQMY] • How to Win Friends and Influence People: https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034 [https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034] — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/ [https://penname.co/]. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com [podcast@lennyrachitsky.com]. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]