Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
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speedrun006.a16z.com/j8c
How Airtable Built a Multi-Billion Dollar Company from Spreadsheets...
What does it really take to go from a blank page to a company used around the world?
In this fireside conversation, Airtable co-founder and CEO **Howie Liu** reflects on his journey, from walking away from a secure job on day one to building a flexible product that helped reshape how teams build software. He opens up about navigating uncertainty, evolving product-market fit, and making bold moves in the age of AI.
Whether you're building something new, scaling a startup, or exploring the edge of what's next, this session is filled with grounded stories and thoughtful insights.
✨ Inside the conversation:
- Early bets and tradeoffs that shaped Airtable’s foundation
- How “starting horizontal” defied conventional startup wisdom
- The real mental toll of scaling and what grit really looks like
- Embracing AI not as a feature, but as a complete product shift
- Lessons on staying close to the problem — at every stage
👥 Guests: Howie Liu (CEO Airtable)
🎙️ Host: Andrew Chen (a16z)
🎯 Topics: Startup strategy, product-market fit, AI transformation, no-code evolution
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:42 - Why Airtable?
03:46 - Building a Horizontal Platform by Design
06:39 - Choosing the Entrepreneurial Path
10:33 - Startups Before They Were "Cool"
12:40 - Why Startups Are Always Hard
16:09 - Core Skills Founders Need Early
24:47 - Can Product-Market Fit Be Hired?
26:44 - AI Shifts, Startup Cycles & Market Fatigue
36:04 - Rethinking the Product Experience with AI
41:23 - Question Time
💡 Are you a founder building the next big thing? Join Speedrun, the startup accelerator designed to help founders move fast with capital, mentorship, and top investors.
👉 Apply now: speedrun.a16z.com
📲 Follow us for more insights:
X (Twitter): https://x.com/speedrun
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/a16zspeedrun
#startup #airtable #ai #founders #HowieLiu #techtalks #entrepreneurship #podcast #interview #a16z #speedrun
Are you a founder looking for $1M in investment? Consider applying to speedrun, link below:
speedrun006.a16z.com/j8c
How Airtable Built a Multi-Billion Dollar Company from Spreadsheets...
What does it really take to go from a blank page to a company used around the world?
In this fireside conversation, Airtable co-founder and CEO **Howie Liu** reflects on his journey, from walking away from a secure job on day one to building a flexible product that helped reshape how teams build software. He opens up about navigating uncertainty, evolving product-market fit, and making bold moves in the age of AI.
Whether you're building something new, scaling a startup, or exploring the edge of what's next, this session is filled with grounded stories and thoughtful insights.
✨ Inside the conversation:
- Early bets and tradeoffs that shaped Airtable’s foundation
- How “starting horizontal” defied conventional startup wisdom
- The real mental toll of scaling and what grit really looks like
- Embracing AI not as a feature, but as a complete product shift
- Lessons on staying close to the problem — at every stage
👥 Guests: Howie Liu (CEO Airtable)
🎙️ Host: Andrew Chen (a16z)
🎯 Topics: Startup strategy, product-market fit, AI transformation, no-code evolution
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:42 - Why Airtable?
03:46 - Building a Horizontal Platform by Design
06:39 - Choosing the Entrepreneurial Path
10:33 - Startups Before They Were "Cool"
12:40 - Why Startups Are Always Hard
16:09 - Core Skills Founders Need Early
24:47 - Can Product-Market Fit Be Hired?
26:44 - AI Shifts, Startup Cycles & Market Fatigue
36:04 - Rethinking the Product Experience with AI
41:23 - Question Time
💡 Are you a founder building the next big thing? Join Speedrun, the startup accelerator designed to help founders move fast with capital, mentorship, and top investors.
👉 Apply now: speedrun.a16z.com
📲 Follow us for more insights:
X (Twitter): https://x.com/speedrun
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/a16zspeedrun
#startup #airtable #ai #founders #HowieLiu #techtalks #entrepreneurship #podcast #interview #a16z #speedrun
