In a podcast interview titled, Excellence Is the Capacity To Take Pain, David Senra interviews Travis Kalanick about his experiences as a tech founder. Normally I would not spend a post on DailyDime to share video content but Travis’ interview is worth sharing with any founder, especially if you’re in tech or raising form VC’s.
Travis built Uber into a $70B company before being forced out by his own investors / board. Now that enough time has passed he’s sharing his experience as an operator including scaling Uber, raising billions in capital and even opening shop in China.
It’s a rare, honest window into the experience and mind of one of the most successful entrepreneurs of the past 20 years. What really stuck out to me was how honest Travis was and how he was not afraid to name names. It’s refreshing to listen to and I hope it gives other venture-backed founders the permission to speak up.
Some topics that stood out to me:
- Having a VC (Bill Gurley at Benchmark Capital) creating a war-room to get Travis fired
- Travis’ thorough, fundraising process that leads to a hand demand curve
- Only three big, tech businesses have succeeded in China (Apple, Tesla, Uber)
- Digitizing the physical world through his new startup, Atoms
- Travis rides a jet-ski from home to work
Whether your a founder, investor or just a curious follower of the space, this interview is a great listen and truly unsightful and enlightening.
Related Reading: The Uncomfortable Truth About Venture Capital Funding