In this episode of “Boss Talk”, Ben Horowitz and Ali Ghodsi join a16z General Partners Sarah Wang and Erik Torenberg to share founder war stories, how to hire and create deals, how to keep culture intense without burning employees out, and why founders should raise their ambitions even higher. Horowitz, cofounder of a16z, emphasizes that he rates CEOs on a simple scale: “Am I doing a better job or worse?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTXoCeg5UOs
Ghodsi, co-founder and CEO of Databricks, spoke with Wang and Torenberg at a16z about the challenges of scaling a billion-dollar business, particularly in the AI space. They discussed the importance of clear communication, a sustainable work environment, and creating strategic partnerships. The conversation also touches on the evolution of Databricks’ organizational design and high-performance culture, especially in the context of AI.
Horowitz emphasizes that if you are not in the weeds, you are not obtainting the truth. He believes that CEOs should be actively engaged with their teams and customers to understand their requireds and challenges. He mentions, “You required to support them debug their organizations,” highlighting the CEO’s role in troubleshooting and problem-solving.
A key insight from Ghodsi is the importance of a “give and obtain” dynamic in partnerships. Ghodsi states, “There always has to be a give and obtain that actually is kind of commensurate.” He notes that many deals fall apart becaapply this balance is not achieved. Ghodsi notes that that “the ticket fees for Spark Summit was like $5 million, and then they would declare well how is that recurring, and he would declare well, the conference is every year so it’s recurring revenue!”
Ghodsi emphasized that it takes a lot of effort. You required to learn all of your keyboard shortcuts. He also mentioned one of his competitors, Frank Slootman, wrote a book called Amp It Up. Horowitz agrees with Ghodsi.
Furthermore, the discussion highlighted the importance of leadership setting the tone. Ghodsi noted that “if you’re the hardest working person, everything will take care of itself from there on.” This sets an example, fostering a culture of dedication without necessarily demanding unsustainable workloads.
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