How To Design Products That Truly Stand Out

Karri Saarinen is the co-founder and CEO of Linear, the issue tracking tool used by thousands of high-growth companies. Before Linear, he was the first designer at Coinbase and later a lead designer at Airbnb. On Design Review with YC's Aaron Epstein, Karri shares how his design background shaped Linear’s product philosophy, why quality and craft matter from day one, what founders should look for when hiring, and how AI is changing the way teams build. It’s a deep dive into building products that truly stand out. Chapters: 00:00 – Why design makes or breaks products 02:00 – Lessons learned from YC, Coinbase, and Airbnb 06:00 – Building trust through brand and design 08:24 – Linear’s brand: craft, quality, and authenticity 10:40 – Why sales is part of the brand experience 13:10 – Shipping fast without losing quality 17:18 – Hiring for product taste and judgment 19:28 – Superpowers of designers as founders 21:12 – Advice for designers considering founding a startup 23:26 – Why founders should care about design from day one 25:24 – Tips for creating products that stand out 28:24 – Balancing creative freedom with shipping timelines 28:56 – How AI is changing design and product work 30:44 – Why AI won’t replace designers (and what shifts to expect) 32:44 – The future of product and design teams with AI

Aaron EpsteinhostKarri Saarinenguest

Oct 13, 202535mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: October 13, 2025
Duration: 35m
Channel: YC Root Access
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Karri Saarinen is the co-founder and CEO of Linear, the issue tracking tool used by thousands of high-growth companies. Before Linear, he was the first designer at Coinbase and later a lead designer at Airbnb. On Design Review with YC's Aaron Epstein, Karri shares how his design background shaped Linear’s product philosophy, why quality and craft matter from day one, what founders should look for when hiring, and how AI is changing the way teams build. It’s a deep dive into building products that truly stand out. Chapters: 00:00 – Why design makes or breaks products 02:00 – Lessons learned from YC, Coinbase, and Airbnb 06:00 – Building trust through brand and design 08:24 – Linear’s brand: craft, quality, and authenticity 10:40 – Why sales is part of the brand experience 13:10 – Shipping fast without losing quality 17:18 – Hiring for product taste and judgment 19:28 – Superpowers of designers as founders 21:12 – Advice for designers considering founding a startup 23:26 – Why founders should care about design from day one 25:24 – Tips for creating products that stand out 28:24 – Balancing creative freedom with shipping timelines 28:56 – How AI is changing design and product work 30:44 – Why AI won’t replace designers (and what shifts to expect) 32:44 – The future of product and design teams with AI

SPEAKERS

Aaron Epstein
host
Host at YC Root Access who interviews founders about product and design.
Karri Saarinen
guest
Co-founder and CEO of Linear, previously a product designer with experience at companies like Airbnb and Coinbase.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of YC Root Access, featuring Aaron Epstein and Karri Saarinen, How To Design Products That Truly Stand Out explores design, brand, and hiring choices that make products stand out Design is a compounding advantage because it builds trust, improves daily usability, and shapes emotional perception of a product and company.

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