Catalyst

Latest Episodes:

Visual Math: Paul and Gina on Account From Postlight Labs Jun 04, 2020

Show notes

Postlight loves playing with code — and sometimes that play helps people be more productive. Paul and Gina introduce Account, a new open-source Labs project from Postlight that renders interactive math equations as text stories. Paul discusses the importance of creating data representations that people can explore, and thanks to Account, Gina is converted from an old-school coder to a React fan.

Links:

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Risks vs. Rules: Why it's Important to Differentiate Jun 02, 2020

Show notes

It seems natural to implement rules to reduce risk. But when dealing with fluid processes like software development, can rigidity and fear of unknown variables actually hold you back? Paul and Rich discuss what’s at stake when leaders confuse rules with risk mitigation. We draw parallels between a good pilot, a good lawyer, and good software development — and as a bonus, Paul tells you how you can earn a promotion using only four words.

Links:

Sarbanes-Oxley

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Reactive Sales: Building New Client Relationships in the Time of COVID May 28, 2020

Show notes

When you can’t invite a prospective client into the office, how do you hold their attention and show them you’re actively listening? Charisma and eye contact don’t make the same impact over Zoom. Paul and Rich explain an adaptive sales approach that uses digital tools and tactics to demonstrate value. Behold our new Reactive Sales technique.

Links:

Sitecore

Adobe Experience Manager

Pendo

The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation

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How Design Makes the World: With Author and Designer Scott Berkun May 26, 2020

Show notes

Good design often goes unnoticed, but not for Scott Berkun. In his new book, How Design Makes the World, Scott delves into how both good and bad design affect our daily lives. On this episode, Scott lays out the big questions you must ask about your users: Who do you design for, and why? And how do you avoid unintended harm when designing products?

Links:

Scott Berkun

How Design Makes The World

Scott Berkun Twitter

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Stability vs. Scalability: Why Structural Change is So Hard May 21, 2020

Show notes

The modern global economy has been built on relatively stable markets, so what happens now that stability is no longer a constant? Paul and Rich ask the big questions about our economic systems: Why is it so difficult to coordinate at scale? What is the best way to optimize a supply chain? And how can we meet everyone’s needs?

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Building Prince of Persia: With Video Game Great Jordan Mechner May 19, 2020

Show notes

Creating a sensation: Jordan Mechner built his first video game in high school, sourcing info from books (there was no internet); a few years later, he concocted the hit game Prince of Persia in his dorm room. On the podcast, Jordan shares an inside look into his new book and chronicles the time he spent building a genre-defining game: his creative process, inspiration for his work, and insights about building games then vs. now.

Links:

The Making of the Prince of Persia - Jordan Mechner

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Big Red Button: Dealing With Unreasonable Asks May 14, 2020

Show notes

Shared Crisis: When a stressed client comes to you with an urgent request, it's hard not to panic. The tight deadlines may seem daunting but there are ways to mitigate the crisis. Paul and Rich share their insights on how to lessen stress, limit expectations, and simplify processes to get a product shipped quickly. Some pro tips: take a breath, create a sense of shared responsibility, reduce risk, and don’t forget to sleep!

Links:

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Inside Facebook: With Writer and Journalist Steven Levy May 12, 2020

Show notes

Apologize later: Renowned tech journalist and writer Steven Levy chats about his new book, Facebook: The Inside Story, which peers behind the scenes at the biggest social media monolith of our day. Levy breaks down how he convinced Facebook to give him inside access, what was happening there during the 2016 election, and why Mark Zuckerberg loves Caesar Augustus so much. Caution, books spoilers ahead!

Links:

Steven Levy

Hackers - Steven Levy

The Perfect Thing - Steven Levy

Backchannel - WIRED

Sandra Upson - WIRED

The Devastating Decline of a Brilliant Young Coder - WIRED

Facebook: The Inside Story - Steven Levy

Carlyle Group

In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works and Shapes Our Lives - Steven Levy

The Social Network - IMDB

Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell

Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer that Changes Everything - Steven Levy

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Is it Time to Build? Part 2: How to Get What We Need in a Marketplace Society May 07, 2020

Show notes

Paul and Rich have a follow up discussion about Marc Andreessen’s newest article and ask the important question: How can we connect and empower people to create crucial tools for society when the industry has become so transactional? Are we able to create necessary social momentum when there’s no money involved? Paul puts out a plea for Postlight to create a software development kit for education at a platform level. It remains to be seen if VCs are ready to shift their focus to do the same. (Perhaps that’s an idea for Marc Andreessen to think about!)

Links

‘It’s Time To Build’ by Marc Andreessen

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Is it Time to Build?: On Marc Andreessen’s Viral Article May 05, 2020

Show notes

There’s a reason to expect criticism: Paul and Rich dig into the newest article from VC Marc Andreessen. In it, Andreessen exhorts Americans to innovate and blames our lack of preparation for the pandemic on a lack of desire to do so. We reflect on the current state of America and how apparent the holes in our social governance have become since COVID-19 (especially the education system). Is there a world where VC and startups can help us improve these old systems? Has social policy towards more privatization led us towards the wrong things being optimized? We look to other innovations that have come from crises and ask: How can you install that startup-style motivation outside of commercial profit? (Spoiler: Marc Andreessen doesn’t have the answer!)

Links:

“It’s Time to Build” by Marc Andreessen

Andreesen Horowitz

Marc Andreesen

José Andrés

José Andrés Wants To Feed The World Through The Pandemic

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