ElevenLabs CEO: Why Voice is the Next AI Interface

ElevenLabs CEO and co‑founder Mati Staniszewski joins Jennifer Li to explain how the team ships research‑grade AI at lightning speed—from text‑to‑speech and fully licensed AI music to real‑time voice agents, and why voice is the next interface for human‑computer interaction. He shares the small, autonomous team model, global hiring approach, and how the Voice Marketplace has paid creators over $10M while evolving into an enterprise platform. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:20 Lucky Number Eleven 02:50 Early Research and Product Work with Piotr 03:35 Shipping quickly with small, high ownership independent teams 04:40 Balancing research and product launches 06:50 A Remote-first approach: Meeting talent where they are 10:01 US vs Europe work cultures 10:40 Removing titles and flat leadership layers 13:35 The creative industry’s adoption of AI 15:10 The Voice Marketplace: Empowering creators to earn 16:43 Challenges in licensing and 18-month negotiation process 18:05 Hiring in complex domains 19:10 Finding risk-tolerant talent 20:45 Transitioning from creator-first to enterprise adoption 21:48 Lessons from hiring the first salespeople 23:34 Scaling orchestration, long sales cycles and cultural adjustments 26:22 Customer choice in adopting early features 27:55 Phases of company growth: product, sales, scaling 30:06 Turning down licensing to a competitor Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, please like the video and share it with a friend. And if you want more like this, subscribe to our channel for updates on new releases. Resources: Follow Mati on X: https://x.com/matistanis Follow Jennifer on X: https://x.com/JenniferHli Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

Mati StaniszewskiguestJennifer Lihost

Nov 4, 202531mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: November 4, 2025
Duration: 31m
Channel: a16z
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

ElevenLabs CEO and co‑founder Mati Staniszewski joins Jennifer Li to explain how the team ships research‑grade AI at lightning speed—from text‑to‑speech and fully licensed AI music to real‑time voice agents, and why voice is the next interface for human‑computer interaction. He shares the small, autonomous team model, global hiring approach, and how the Voice Marketplace has paid creators over $10M while evolving into an enterprise platform. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:20 Lucky Number Eleven 02:50 Early Research and Product Work with Piotr 03:35 Shipping quickly with small, high ownership independent teams 04:40 Balancing research and product launches 06:50 A Remote-first approach: Meeting talent where they are 10:01 US vs Europe work cultures 10:40 Removing titles and flat leadership layers 13:35 The creative industry’s adoption of AI 15:10 The Voice Marketplace: Empowering creators to earn 16:43 Challenges in licensing and 18-month negotiation process 18:05 Hiring in complex domains 19:10 Finding risk-tolerant talent 20:45 Transitioning from creator-first to enterprise adoption 21:48 Lessons from hiring the first salespeople 23:34 Scaling orchestration, long sales cycles and cultural adjustments 26:22 Customer choice in adopting early features 27:55 Phases of company growth: product, sales, scaling 30:06 Turning down licensing to a competitor Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, please like the video and share it with a friend. And if you want more like this, subscribe to our channel for updates on new releases. Resources: Follow Mati on X: https://x.com/matistanis Follow Jennifer on X: https://x.com/JenniferHli Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

SPEAKERS

Mati Staniszewski
guest
Cofounder and CEO of ElevenLabs, an AI voice technology company.
Jennifer Li
host
a16z host/interviewer moderating the session with ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of a16z, featuring Mati Staniszewski and Jennifer Li, ElevenLabs CEO: Why Voice is the Next AI Interface explores elevenLabs CEO on voice AI, teams, enterprise, and licensing ElevenLabs sustains fast, high-quality shipping by running many small, high-ownership product teams alongside a strong research core led by its cofounder.

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