Office Hours with Tomasz Tunguz

About Office Hours with Tomasz Tunguz

A show that invites luminaries from Startupland to talk about how to build great businesses. Questions are collected from the audience & interleaved into the conversation.

Publisher

Tomasz Tunguz

Category

business · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Jul 2022

Latest episode

10 Apr 2026

Latest episodes

14 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Apr 2026

   Office Hours with Tomasz Tunguz & Lena Waters: The Fully AI-Native Marketing Organization

   Join us as we discuss the AI-native marketing organization of the future. Lena led marketing at Notion, Grammarly, & DocuSign. At Notion, she was CMO during the company’s AI product transition. She guided the shift from product-led growth to enterprise expansion while the company deepened its position in AI-powered work. At Grammarly, she oversaw marketing as the writing assistant added AI features. At DocuSign, she managed enterprise go-to-market strategy. Today, Lena advises startups & later-stage companies rethinking growth in an AI-driven world. She has some of the most forward-thinking ideas about the future of marketing in the AI era. The pattern she’s seen across dozens of marketing leaders: most companies adopted AI tactically without redesigning their marketing operations around it.

2. 

   5 Aug 2024

   Office Hours with Baris Gultekin: The Era of Enterprise AI is Here

   01:26 Journey to Snowflake 02:32 Snowflake and AI 06:43 Choosing your model 07:44 Snowflake & OS 09:43 Innovations to reduce training data size 10:59 From large to small models 13:14 Snowflake and agentic systems 15:50 AI & data security 17:17 Access control layer 18:14 Embedded applications 19:55 Data sharing 21:37 Snowflake training & inference 23:12 Data reshaping 24:40 Structured versus unstructured model inputs 25:24 Models providing the mean v. exceptions 27:19 Vector databases 30:33 Summary

3. 

   3 Jul 2024

   Office Hours with Benn Stancil: BI's Third Form

   01:43 Tabular Acquisition by Databricks 05:57 BI's Third Form 09:12 Future of BI 12:50 Data Quality in the World of LLMs 18:48 Building Resilient Data Pipelines & ETL 21:01 Evolving Role of BI Analysts 23:18 Data and Decision-Making 28:05 Conclusion

4. 

   6 May 2024

   Office Hours with Jordan Tigani: Modern Data Architectures

   01:55 Big Data is Dead 06:41 Ease of Use 08:54 Hybrid Architecture 10:30 Audience Question: LLMs for Onboarding? 12:55 Hybrid Architecture Enables New Software Design 16:58 DuckDB & ETL 19:24 Duck Puns 22:07 Duck Community 24:32 Summary

5. 

   22 Apr 2024

   Office Hours with Evan Cheng, Building the Future of Blockchains

   0:00 Office Hours - Evan Cheng 01:28 From Meta to Mysten 04:54 Why Develop a New Language, Move 11:15 Developer Response to Move 13:21 Zero Knowledge (ZK) Proof of Login 19:00 Kiosk 24:34 On Chain Storage Limitations 29:01 DAGs & Web3 30:01 Mysten Labs Ecosystem & SUI 34:03 SUI Token Launch 38:30 Closing

6. 

   19 Mar 2024

   Office Hours with Tom Tunguz & Colin Zima

   Takeaways from this discussion include: There is a pendulum between governance and self-serve, and that swing is narrowing with developments like Omni There's a dynamic with centralization and decentralization hybrid execution at the edge which allows super-interactive user experiences. As these experiences improve, the number of people who benefit and can access data in meaningful ways only increases. 00:06 Introduction 01:27 Being Chief Analytics Officer 04:08 Evolution of BI 08:23  Data Organization Structure 10:53  Data Permissioning Philosophy 14:12  Hybrid Execution 17:36  BI Application Architecture 19:36 Mitigating Buyer Fatigue 21:20 BI & AI 25:59 Semantic Layer 27:12 Audience Question: Should AI Suggest Analyses? 28:43 Embedded Analytics 32:48 Will AI Automate BI Users Away? 35:00 Summary

7. 

   27 Feb 2024

   Office Hours with Tom Tunguz & Steven Goldfeder

   00:06 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=6s) Introduction 02:10 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=130s) Arbitrum Statistics 02:47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=167s) Building Your Developer Community 09:08 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=548s) Arbitrum One v. Arbitrum Nova 14:55 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=895s) L3 & Customization 19:41 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=1181s) Arbitrum Orbit & Chain Clusters 24:39 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=1479s) Future Customizations for Developers 28:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=1710s) Accepting Developer Languages: To reduce barriers to entry 30:11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=1811s) Accepting Developer Languages: To access legacy code 32:38 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=1958s) Accepting Developer Languages: To reduce fees 33:48 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=2028s) Convergence of Web2 and Web3 37:55 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=2275s) Community-Source-Software 42:03 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjJ1RgDlxg&t=2523s) Summary

8. 

   18 Dec 2023

   Office Hours with Tom Tunguz & Philip Zelitchenko

   0:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=0s) Office Hours with Philip Zelitchenko 01:47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=107s) Q: How did you decide to structure your team like software engg? 05:07 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=307s) Q: Determining the value of data 09:17 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=557s) Structuring data teams: data PMs 10:47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=647s) Q: Same data team responsible for internal v. external PRDs? 11:14 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=674s) Structuring data teams: data engineering 12:02 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=722s) Q: What is a data product? 12:47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=767s) Structuring data teams: data analysts 13:22 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=802s) Structuring data teams: data governance 13:37 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=817s) Structuring data teams: data platform 14:18 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=858s) Q: What distinguishes a DPRD from a PRD? 17:33 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=1053s) Q: Role of the DPRD? 20:05 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=1205s) Q: DPRD v. TEP? 20:55 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=1255s) Demystifying data governance 23:22 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=1402s) Data alert management - internal team and customers 26:20 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=1580s) Q: Motivating ownership of data assets? 28:51 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=1731s) Defining value of a data asset 30:29 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=1829s) Measuring data usage 31:37 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=1897s) Q: Can tools today handle the stochastic nature of data? 33:28 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=2008s) Building a data team within the enterprise 35:42 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=2142s) Q: How to test data products prior to release? 40:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=2400s) Q: How do you use observability to manage diversity of alerts? 41:51 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGuVnGKG9Q&t=2511s) Summary

9. 

   3 Nov 2023

   Office Hours with Tom Tunguz & Raj Sarkar

   00:11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=11s) Introduction 02:54 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=174s) What is Outbound Fury (OBF)? 03:34 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=214s) Inspiration for OBF 05:03 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=303s) OBF Tactics 07:44 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=464s) Determining the Line 11:22 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=682s) The Challenger Sale 14:11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=851s) Personas & OBF 16:05 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=965s) Product-Led Growth (PLG), ABM & Outbound Fury 19:35 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=1175s) Setting Up Your Team for Success 21:54 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=1314s) Managing Internal Stakeholders 25:28 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=1528s) Measuring Success 27:16 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=1636s) Brand & OBF Campaigns 29:25 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=1765s) Pricing in Marketing Considerations 31:47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=1907s) Analyst Community (e.g. Gartner) & OBF 33:43 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=2023s) Company Scale & OBF 36:23 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDb7ARUnBTs&t=2183s) Conclusions Materials Mentioned in Today's Session: -- Raj Sarkar's Post: https://rajsarkar.substack.com/p/mark... (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbUx0TXBGb1M4aEZHMFpvOTZmOThzR2tyZk1EQXxBQ3Jtc0tuTy1MYkVFTzljakZnUFBhWWJrSHBqbUV5SHRJM1h2Zks4VXBwVEZzNUo4VzJKMm85bXl0ci1kVENQdVBuT1FIdVc2SUZRcHZISVFaWjlwNU1lVDF2b1E4aF9GeHg3UENpbkxRcGE3SXdjZ2hOekJrSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Frajsarkar.substack.com%2Fp%2Fmarketing-led-growth-with-outbound&v=PDb7ARUnBTs) -- Marc Benioff, Behind the Cloud https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-S... (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1dVN2RHWUtrdlEwQUQzb2UzVGhoZFFuU04zZ3xBQ3Jtc0tsanItSjhLRGcydXZoZ1NGUTBEZVpUbk9TdjF4WFBwNlYybHg2dWpvQkVTSWF4TkxVdU12dmN1UnpfZW9kVGJBaE40MFdYUUI4bjhkelVta2M3WmJKZE9xTTR2R0JpX1lvaE40S2g0dTBOaENQcGRUZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBehind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-Company%2Fdp%2F0470521163&v=PDb7ARUnBTs) -- Matthew Dixon, The Challenger Sale https://www.amazon.com/The-Challenger... (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqazk0b2ZaOHNJVTgwZTZzd2JJOXRWdzJBYmV5Z3xBQ3Jtc0trbHdMeHgtbTJOUWdzMGp4YUQwY0FMTk1aT0VndXVtR014WW5sTzNFb1dQbW9ZRG5wZk5leUQwUXozQUhrN1VfN1NLMXpFRlJEY0pmaEt4eXBCUlZmVzh3QkpONXZ2Q1FiYXpkM2pkeFRmTEdCMExMNA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FThe-Challenger-Sale-audiobook%2Fdp%2FB07SLDD5YV%2F&v=PDb7ARUnBTs)

10. 

    12 Oct 2023

    Office Hours with Tomasz Tunguz & Oliver Jay

    00:00 Introduction to Tom and Oliver 03:07 Overview of PLG at Dropbox 05:30 Overview of PLG at Asana 06:07 How to succeed in PLG end user acquisition phase 09:15 Tactics for Generating Awareness 10:17 Customer Expansion Phase 13:15  When Tension Arises Between PLG & Enterprise Security Needs 15:24 Security is an All Consuming Roadmap, not a Feature 18:35 How the Organization Shifts during the Transition from PLG to SLG 20:48 How Pricing Changes from PLG to SLG 26:22 The PLG Trap 28:03 Avoiding the PLG Trap 31:55 Value-Based Selling: Generalizable or Vertical/Use-Case Specific? 35:35 Atlassian v. Asana's Approaches 37:11 Advice for New Startups Pursuing PLG 38:22 Navigating from SLG to PLG 42:19 Resources for Founders 43:06 PLG, SLG & AI

11. 

    9 Dec 2022

    Office Hours with Tomasz Tunguz & Fredrik Haga

    On November 29th at 9am Pacific Time, Office Hours hosted Fredrik Haga, founder & CEO of Dune. Dune is the authoritative source of web3 data. For information on Decentralized Exchange activity, lending volumes, or even the current FTX account balances. I used Dune to make the State of Web3 Presentation. During this Office Hours, Fredrik & I will talked about - the importance of data in a decentralized world - the impact of the three major collapses this year: FTX, Luna, & ThreeArrows on the ecosystem - the evolution of web3 in 2022 - building a startup through tough market conditions Thanks to Fredrik for the great session.

12. 

    19 Oct 2022

    Office Hours with Tomasz Tunguz & Carilu Dietrich

    On October 18th at 10am Pacific, Office Hours will host Carilu Dietrich. Carilu headed corporate marketing for Atlassian from $150m to $450m in revenue & through their massively successful IPO. Since then, she’s advised Segment, Kong, Miro, Bill.com & 1Password, among many others. Needless to say, her vista across many leading SaaS companies marketing practices is exceptional. During the Office Hours, we’ll discuss: the role of marketing in PLG motions. debate the two different ways of trimming marketing spend : better to cut people or programs? how to develop excellent positioning for a business. When to rebrand a company? If you’re interested to attend, please register here. As always, we will collect questions from participants before the event, weave them into the conversation, and answer live questions at the end of the session. I look forward to welcoming Carilu to Office Hours!

13. 

    16 Aug 2022

    Office Hours with Tomasz Tunguz & Bill Binch

    Office Hours welcomed Bill Binch, former CRO at Pendo, EVP Worldwide Sales at Marketo & operating partner at Battery to share his views on building world-class sales organizations. Bill & I exchanged emails about Deliberately Underselling as Sales Strategy (https://tomtunguz.com/deliberately-underselling/). I asked him to share his views on land & expand team structure & quotas. But we covered much more. Here are three highlights from the session. First, Deliberately Underselling means optimizing the sales process for Net Dollar Retention (NDR). Logo-based quotas (https://tomtunguz.com/logo-based-quotas/) focus the team on speed to close. Sometimes, these plans have a minimum contract value plus a bounty. Another structure establishes land account executives & expand account executives (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90SIs242GVE). The company’s leadership should calculate sales efficiency on the combined OTE (on-target earnings) to quota ratio of these teams. A land AE with a $300k OTE might have a $600k quota. Her land AE counterpart might also have a $300k OTE with a $2.8m quota. If they attain plan, the combined OTE/quota ratio is 0.176. Most startups operate between 0.15-0.25. This land & expand team construct recognizes the difference in difficulty between landing & expanding accounts; also, the potential difference in ideal AE for each role. Last, the plan compensates those responsible for growing accounts with a quota - in line with Frank Slootman’s philosophy (https://tomtunguz.com/amp-it-up/). Second, Bill offered a bold prediction. Top startups will record 200-300% NDR as PLG becomes a dominant go-to-market strategy (https://tomtunguz.com/2021-plg-report-pocus-frc/). Today, best-in-class tops out at 170% or so. We agree there! (https://tomtunguz.com/2022-predictions/) Third, Bill revealed his Mojo Metric (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90SIs242GVE), his north-star metric. The Mojo Metric reports the net change in pipeline daily. Here’s how to calculate yours: Mojo = new pipeline + new_pipeline_expanded + deals_pulled_forward deals_killed - deals_shrunk - deals_pushed Each day’s Mojo reveals how much incremental pipeline the team has generated & informs the sales leader early on about this quarter’s health. There’s much more in the session including handling commissions on multi-year deals (TCV vs ACV), criteria for evaluating ramping account executives that echoes insights from the Vista sales playbook, optimal ratios for team construction, how sales has changed in 30 years & how it changes after Covid, amongst other topics.

14. 

    14 Jul 2022

    Office Hours with Tomasz Tunguz & Lars Nilsson

    Office Hours welcomed Lars Nilsson, VP Sales Development from Snowflake (https://tomtunguz.com/lars-nilsson-office-hours/) to talk about his learnings across 5 companies he helped take public. Throughout the hour, Lars provided insightful perspectives on how to build sales organizations. These the five most memorable takeaways for me. In early-stage companies, founders sell for the first three to four quarters. Then, many founders opt to hire an AE. Hiring a sales or business-development representative (SDR/BDR) can be the better choice. Incoming account executives will want to see a significant lead volume before joining, especially when selling into the enterprise. Teams often overlook storytelling as a critical part of effective lead generation. Fear-of-missing-out or the inspiration of a potential future, stories equip champions inside customer organizations to sell the product through the buying process. Founders validate the effectiveness of their stories when hiring SDRs better. SDRs call ten-times as many prospects as AEs do. Much the better to iterate with greater speed and confidence. As the company grows, building the sales development team becomes the most productive source of pipeline particularly for enterprise-grade technical products. Hire for hunger. Then surround the new SDR/BDR with three pillars: strong training materials, a manager who cares about the employee’s success, and a peer to accelerate learning. At Snowflake, sales development lives within the marketing team. Lars manages his team through a single metric, meetings. Getting to an account late, a few days or a week after they’ve signed with a competitor accrues to the meeting metric (see why in the video). Last, exiting unlikely sales processes saves the company’s resources and boosts team morale. Closed - no decision is the worst outcome of an engagement. We covered much more in the session including the techniques Snowflake uses to align account-based marketing with sales development & sales teams; how to structure career paths within the team; transitioning accounts between SDRs/BDRs to account executives; and the right SDR:AE ratios as companies scale. Thank you, Lars, for the masterclass on sales development.

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