35 korrents from this recording
Every claim below is a statement made in this recording, quoted word for word and linked to the second it was said, so you can hear it rather than take our word for it. The wording comes from the transcript published alongside the recording; the sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording.
0:01:27 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsAnd I think as we've looked at the sort of trajectory of technology, over the long arc of time, technology gets more and more and more and more personal.
0:10:32 · watch on youtube.com↗
Our reading
New technology can be so exciting that the people building it lose focus on its impact on people.
Their wordsAnd I think, you know, the challenging thing, I think, is, you know, sometimes when you're working on new technology, it's so exciting and inspiring that you can lose focus on its impact on people.
0:11:02 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsThat made us realize, like, the way that people have told stories forever, right, is in chronological order. They're not, you know, permanently saved forever and publicly judged and liked and that sort of thing.
0:11:22 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsThey didn't have these likes and comments, which opened up this whole new world of self -expression, right, because instead of just trying to post what would look pretty or popular or perfect, people were sharing this whole range of human emotions.
0:12:05 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsI think that's a really good example of the way technology ends up shaping human behavior. So if we're not thoughtful enough about the technology we're building, it can have unintended consequences.
0:15:00 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsI think, first of all, we really focused on building the perfect product for way too long before we got feedback. So, you know, I think we worked for, like, 18 months to build this perfect, full -featured product, which was, like, in direct contravention to, like, how I was always taught to build things, right? Which is, like, build a prototype, build an MVP, get in front of people, learn as quickly as possible.
0:19:50 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsBut for us, like, it was just obvious, right, that people were going to want to watch video the same way they hold their phone. They don't want to turn their phone to watch video.
0:21:01 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsLike, it was obvious to me that, you know, if you looked at the evolution of computing that, like, holding this tiny little screen in your hands was not the future of computers. Like, it makes absolutely no sense, especially for humans that want to, like, live and work hands -free, right?
0:22:11 · watch on youtube.com↗
Our reading
The hard part is not having a vision of the future, which often seems obvious, but delivering it.
Their wordsSo, I think, you know, the hard part is not necessarily having the vision for the future, and oftentimes it just seems very obvious. The hard part is delivering it, right, getting there.
0:23:54 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsAnd what we really wanted to do was create a culture that's uncompromising, but at the same time very kind and supportive. Because we think that that is, you know, the best sort of and most fertile ground for creativity.
0:24:04 · watch on youtube.com↗
Our reading
Fear is almost the opposite of creativity: people who feel afraid find it very hard to be creative.
Their wordsIf people feel afraid, it's very, very hard to be creative. I mean, fear is almost like the opposite of creativity.
0:25:33 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsWhen you're being kind, it means you really want the best for somebody, right? And sometimes that means a tough conversation.
0:26:13 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsAnd so I think kindness in many ways is essential because it allows people to hear that feedback. So one of the big problems, I think, you know, in a more hostile work environment is people are more resistant to feedback because they don't hear it coming from that positive place of wanting you to grow and develop.
0:28:03 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsI mean that's the fun part about innovating is it's a dialogue, right? It's not like issuing commands, like let's go build this. It's like having a real intense debate and dialogue about what's best for our customer and what we should do, what we should prioritize.
0:37:09 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsSo the whole world of design is changing, I think, very rapidly because now, you know, many of our designers are just empowered. If they've got something, we think it's cool. Let's, you know, let's get it in the app and test it like immediately. So I think design to code is happening way faster than ever before.
0:40:13 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsI think that's certainly true in terms of like the operational lift, but at the same time, right, like that, the vision and creativity and connection to your customer has never been more important.
0:41:02 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsAnd now that these models are good enough to write, you know, more and more complex pieces of software on their own, like the job of a software engineer at Snap is like profoundly and forever changed.
0:41:36 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsAnd so it's been hard to see a path forward for Snap up against these giants without AI tools. And now with AI tools, you're like, wow, we basically have an infinite number of engineering resources.
0:46:41 · watch on youtube.com↗
Our reading
Any new product should clear the bar of being ten times better than the next best alternative.
Their wordsBecause ultimately, at the end of the day, the bar that we set for any product we develop is that it has to be 10 times better than the next best alternative.
0:53:47 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsI really, really like that because I think what they're describing is technology in service of a product vision. So instead of chasing a technology, being crystal clear about what you're trying to create and then organizing everyone to invent everything needed to create that product.
0:54:57 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsI think Meta needed to partner with Luxottica because the Meta brand, I think, is not something that people want to put anywhere near their face.
0:57:00 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsAnd then over time, they work with that really passionate group of enthusiasts to, you know, grow into the mass market while preserving their premium positioning, which means high gross margins. Then they take those high gross margins and they reinvest in R &D, which widens their lead.
0:57:19 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsAnd I think it's very, very hard to start with a super broad -based, low -margin consumer product and try to work your way into premium positioning.
1:00:58 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsEssentially, like you're going to burn yourself out if you try to control everything, right? So it's really important to identify very early on, like where are the strategic points where you can create a totally unique customer experience by really investing in doing things differently?
1:22:35 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsAnd, you know, even requires a different execution style, you know, with hardware, like you cannot make a mistake, right? Like the things that we are doing today will show up in two years from now. And if we made a mistake, it's a huge problem and it'll cost us another year or whatever to, to fix it.
1:29:18 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsAt the same point, there's nothing more valuable than focus. Like focus is, I mean, arguably my primary role in our company is helping to drive focus and prioritization.
1:32:35 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsI think it's absolutely essential for us to go after solving hard problems, especially as we look at, like, the long -term success of the, the business. I think that ultimately, like, that is where value is created.
1:34:29 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsYeah, and I think what's most important for me is creating a culture where people are raising their hand and bringing those problems early and often, right? Like, that is mission critical across the organization, right? Like, we can't solve a problem that we don't know about.
1:36:46 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsAnd if you're focused on your title, you're focused on, like, the exact wrong thing, right? Like, we are going to die if, like, we are a company that's focused on title and hierarchy and, you know, getting ahead, right, rather than focusing on the customer.
1:39:02 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsYeah, and I think, you know, generally speaking, I would expect the world to move towards flatter structures and much larger spans of control because, like, the communication and organization tax today is, like, night and day what it was 20 or 30 years ago.
1:40:31 · watch on youtube.com↗
Our reading
People spending seven or eight hours a day operating a computer is a disaster for society.
Their wordsI think specs, like what the biggest problem that I see today is people spending seven or eight hours a day on their computer and spending their life operating a computer. I think that is like a disaster for our society.
1:45:20 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsRemember Mark Zuckerberg being like, the world's going to be open and connected. Everyone's going to share everything. Like what? Like, and it was just so wrong in terms of the direction of the world and like what people actually want it.
1:49:49 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsWe're taking a lot of that core cash flow from Snapchat and using it to reinvest in winning this future of computing. And what's very unique about Snapchat is we've been able to do that now for, you know, we've invested in glasses for 12 years. We've been able to very consistently invest in a way that no VC would ever in a million years support.
1:50:40 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsYeah, I think ultimately if you think about the customer experience you're trying to create or what you're trying to create in the world, ultimately you realize that hardware is a necessity in realizing that vision, essentially.
1:51:21 · watch on youtube.com↗
Their wordsWell, I think the best way to tell the story is through the product, right?