Silicon Valley Girl

$18B AI CEO: How to Build a Million-Dollar Business in the Age of AI

Protect user privacy on your website and earn their trust with Cookiebot by Usercentrics: https://usercentrics.sjv.io/svg15 Andrey Khusid built Miro into an $18 billion company by doing the opposite of what most startup advice tells you. In this conversation, he reveals why long-term planning kills startups, why AI won't save a bad product, and what actually matters when you're trying to scale. 00:00 Intro 00:54 From whiteboard to $18B 03:36 100M users in 18 months 05:50 What Miro does differently 07:35 How to gain users fast 09:04 Why you need to fail 10:08 Experimentation beats vision 12:20 Trust is the new currency 14:18 Name vs. brand vs. lovemark 15:39 Three-year vision reset 16:41 Stop planning 12 months ahead 20:45 Why building is fun now 22:00 AI canvas demo 24:49 Most important founder quality 27:40 Where the opportunities are 30:57 Vertical AI will explode 32:36 Books that will change your mindset 33:57 Favorite AI apps 34:29 What founders should ask daily Links: 📩 Follow my Newsletter: https://siliconvalleygirl.beehiiv.com/ 🔗 My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconvalleygirl/ 📌 My Companies & Products: https://Marinamogilko.co 📹 Video brainstorming, research, and project planning - all in one place - https://partner.spotterstudio.com/ideas-with-marina 💻 Resources that helps my team and me grow the business: - Email & SMS Marketing Automation - https://your.omnisend.com/marina - AI app to work with docs and PDFs - https://www.chatpdf.com/?via=marina 📱Develop your YouTube with AI apps: - AI tool to edit videos in a minutes https://get.descript.com/fa2pjk0ylj0d - Boost your view and subscribers on YouTube - https://vidiq.com/marina - #1 AI video clipping tool - https://www.opus.pro/?via=7925d2 💰 Investment Apps: - Top credit cards for free flights, hotels, and cash-back - https://www.cardonomics.com/i/marina - Intuitive platform for stocks, options, and ETFs - https://a.webull.com/Tfjov8wp37ijU849f8 ⭐ Download my English language workbook - https://bit.ly/3hH7xFm I use affiliate links whenever possible (if you purchase items listed above using my affiliate links, I will get a bonus).

MMMarina MogilkohostAKAndrey Khusidguest

Dec 11, 2025·35m·Watch on YouTube ↗

📖 CHAPTERS

1. 1

   From agency pain point to a browser whiteboard (Miro’s true origin story)

   Andrey explains that Miro wasn’t born from a grand ambition to build a unicorn, but from a practical collaboration problem he faced running a creative agency. The early goal was simple: reach break-even quickly while solving a real pain for remote work with clients.

2. 2

   When it became obvious it could be big: key growth inflection points (2015 → pandemic)

   The conversation maps Miro’s step-changes in momentum: technical shifts, enterprise readiness, and the pandemic-driven remote work wave. Each phase revealed a new ceiling for how large the business could become.

3. 3

   What Miro evolved into: the “AI innovation workspace” and end-to-end delivery

   Andrey reframes Miro’s positioning beyond visual collaboration into an end-to-end workflow where teams move from idea to delivery. AI becomes a collaborator that helps teams progress through stages faster, making the canvas a powerful modality for AI workflows.

4. 4

   The original growth flywheel: virality, delight, and search before sales layers in

   Andrey breaks down how Miro acquired users early: obsessing over user experience and incentivizing collaboration invitations. Only after organic channels were strong did the company layer on more intentional marketing and enterprise sales.

5. 5

   Building in 2025: PMF still wins, but brand and trust matter more than ever

   With AI lowering the cost of building, Andrey argues fundamentals still rule: product-market fit and real problem-solving. However, in a crowded market of “nice-looking” tools, brand, trust, and emotional attachment become critical differentiators.

6. 6

   How to find PMF now: customer discovery + prototypes (especially for AI-first UX)

   Andrey outlines a practical PMF process: validate the problem and market, then use open-ended customer conversations to test hypotheses. For AI-first productivity tools, prototyping is essential because users often can’t articulate what they need until they see it.

7. 7

   Why you need to fail: managing a portfolio of bets and iterating the solution

   Miro embraces a deliberate failure rate to ensure the company is pushing boundaries. Andrey explains how to distinguish between a wrong problem and an imperfect solution, and why consistent iteration is the real engine of durable PMF.

8. 8

   Trust as the new currency in AI products (and why users hesitate)

   Marina emphasizes that users now feed AI apps highly sensitive data, making privacy and trust central to adoption. This section underscores that trust isn’t abstract—it directly shapes consumer behavior and willingness to try new tools.

9. 9

   Name vs brand vs lovemark: rebranding RealtimeBoard to “Miro” to stand out

   Andrey explains his framework for company naming and why Miro’s rebrand aimed beyond recognition toward emotional resonance. The “lovemark” concept ties the product to inspiration and creativity rather than generic “software.”

10. 10

    Strategy reset under AI: from 3-year “paint the picture” to 6–12 month planning cycles

    Miro previously used a 3-year narrative planning practice (“paint the picture”), but AI’s pace makes long-range prediction unreliable. Andrey argues companies must anchor on mission while planning in shorter increments and constantly reassessing where they can win.

11. 11

    Why building is more exciting now: LLMs expand the solution space and interfaces

    Despite increased competition and ambiguity, Andrey is more optimistic because AI enables many new ways to solve problems. He describes a broad reinvention of interfaces and “surfaces,” making this era feel like a builder’s playground.

12. 12

    AI Canvas demo: multimodal workflows, image generation, and conversational editing in Miro

    Andrey walks through Miro’s AI Canvas, demonstrating how teams can wire references into a workflow that generates outputs like images and structured artifacts. The demo highlights model selection, iterative prompting, and a “sidekick” for conversational edits—hinting at a multimodal future.

13. 13

    Most important founder qualities now: curiosity, critical thinking, and resilience in chaos

    Andrey argues that constant change will only accelerate, making mindset a competitive advantage. Founders must stay curious, think critically about where they can win, and build resilience to handle ongoing ambiguity and intensity.

14. 14

    Where opportunities are: multiplayer AI, vertical AI, and fast consolidation

    Andrey outlines where he sees the next wave: vertical AI companies reinventing entire end-to-end workflows. He cites legal, coding, and marketing as standout areas and predicts rapid consolidation—rewarding founders who move quickly and escape the early-adopter niche.

15. 15

    Closing recommendations: books, favorite AI apps, and the daily founder question

    The conversation ends with Andrey’s resources and personal operating advice. He recommends management/scaling books, shares the AI tools he relies on, and offers a simple daily question to sustain founder energy.