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Guillermo Rauch: Why Great Companies are Defined by How Many Things They Say No To | E1069

Guillermo Rauch is the Founder and CEO @ Vercel, giving developers the frameworks, workflows, and infrastructure to build a faster, more personalized Web. To date, Guillermo has raised $312M from Accel, Bedrock, Greenoaks, GV and more. Prior to founding Vercel, Guillermo co-founded LearnBoost and Cloudup where he served the company as CTO through its acquisition by Automattic in 2013. ---------------------------------------------- Timestamps: (0:00) Intro ( 00:33) Early Life and Career Origins ( 09:23) Motivations and Immigrant Perspective ( 15:57) Hiring Philosophy and Identifying Talent ( 26:13) Insights on Technology and Design ( 36:29) AI's Evolution and Impact ( 52:26) Future Predictions in AI and Tech ( 01:06:26) Quick-Fire Round ---------------------------------------------- In Today’s Episode with Guillermo Rauch We Discuss: 1. From Argentina to SF: The Boy Making Money Online: How did Guillermo first get into computers and start making money online? Does Guillermo still believe the US and SF offers the same opportunities it did when he came? Did Guillermo feel the weight of responsibility of providing for his family at a young age? 2. Timing, Markets and Narrative Violations: Why does Guillermo believe it does not matter being first but being right? Why does Guillermo believe the most important thing for a company is market selection? Why does Guillermo believe it is crucial that founders and companies have “narrative violations”? 3. The Future of AI: What model will win in the future; open or closed? Where does the value accrue; startups or incumbents? How will the SaaS business model change in a world of AI? 4. Silicon Valley’s Most Successful Angel You Did Not Know: What are some of Guillermo’s biggest lessons from angel investing? What is his single biggest miss? How has it changed how he thinks? What have been his biggest hits? How did they impact how he thinks about what it takes to win? ---------------------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465 Follow Harry Stebbings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings Follow Guillermo Rauch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@rauchg Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vc_reels Follow 20VC on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/contact ---------------------------------------------------------- #Guillermo Rauch #Vercel #HarryStebbings #venturecapital

Guillermo RauchguestHarry Stebbingshost
Oct 6, 20231h 14mWatch on YouTube ↗

Episode Details

EPISODE INFO

Released
October 6, 2023
Duration
1h 14m
Channel
The Twenty Minute VC
Watch on YouTube
▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Guillermo Rauch is the Founder and CEO @ Vercel, giving developers the frameworks, workflows, and infrastructure to build a faster, more personalized Web. To date, Guillermo has raised $312M from Accel, Bedrock, Greenoaks, GV and more. Prior to founding Vercel, Guillermo co-founded LearnBoost and Cloudup where he served the company as CTO through its acquisition by Automattic in 2013. ---------------------------------------------- Timestamps: (0:00) Intro ( 00:33) Early Life and Career Origins ( 09:23) Motivations and Immigrant Perspective ( 15:57) Hiring Philosophy and Identifying Talent ( 26:13) Insights on Technology and Design ( 36:29) AI's Evolution and Impact ( 52:26) Future Predictions in AI and Tech ( 01:06:26) Quick-Fire Round ---------------------------------------------- In Today’s Episode with Guillermo Rauch We Discuss:

1. From Argentina to SF: The Boy Making Money Online: How did Guillermo first get into computers and start making money online? Does Guillermo still believe the US and SF offers the same opportunities it did when he came? Did Guillermo feel the weight of responsibility of providing for his family at a young age?

1. Timing, Markets and Narrative Violations: Why does Guillermo believe it does not matter being first but being right? Why does Guillermo believe the most important thing for a company is market selection? Why does Guillermo believe it is crucial that founders and companies have “narrative violations”?

1. The Future of AI: What model will win in the future; open or closed? Where does the value accrue; startups or incumbents? How will the SaaS business model change in a world of AI?

1. Silicon Valley’s Most Successful Angel You Did Not Know: What are some of Guillermo’s biggest lessons from angel investing? What is his single biggest miss? How has it changed how he thinks? What have been his biggest hits? How did they impact how he thinks about what it takes to win? ---------------------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465 Follow Harry Stebbings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings Follow Guillermo Rauch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@rauchg Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vc_reels Follow 20VC on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/contact ---------------------------------------------------------- #Guillermo Rauch #Vercel #HarryStebbings #venturecapital

SPEAKERS

  • Guillermo Rauch

    guest
  • Harry Stebbings

    host
  • Narrator

    other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Twenty Minute VC, featuring Guillermo Rauch and Harry Stebbings, Guillermo Rauch: Why Great Companies are Defined by How Many Things They Say No To | E1069 explores guillermo Rauch: Saying No, Product Sequencing, And The AI Future Guillermo Rauch, CEO of Vercel, traces his path from self‑taught teenage programmer in Argentina to Silicon Valley founder, emphasizing how passion, online work, and an immigrant’s appreciation for good infrastructure shaped his trajectory.

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