Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Chris Best is the CEO and co-founder of Substack, the platform empowering creators to build independent media businesses. In this fireside chat, Chris shares his founding story and discusses how to navigate controversy and why having strong values matters more than pleasing everyone.
0:00 - Substack CEO: Mission-Driven Startups Beat “Mercenary” Founders
2:08 - Origin Story: The Essay That Turned Into Substack
3:01 - Startup Hiring: How Values Create a “Polarizing Filter” (Culture Fit)
4:46 - Freedom of Speech on Substack: The Core Platform Philosophy
5:57 - Hard Question for Teams: Enabling Creators You Disagree With
7:28 - Building a Media Tech Company: Balancing Culture + Engineering
9:39 - AI vs Creators: Why People Call It “Slop” (Taste Still Wins)
15:18 - Will AI Replace Coding? What “Software Engineering” Becomes
17:17 - Creator Economy Explained: Substack’s “New Social Contract” Thesis
29:10 - Startup Playbook: Sci‑Fi Vision + Short-Term Plan (PMF + Growth)
💡 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
📧 Want to know what we look for in applications? Subscribe to our newsletter and find out: speedrun.substack.com
📲 Follow us for more insights:
➡️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/speedrun
➡️ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/a16zspeedrun
#a16z #speedrun #substack #media
Chris Best is the CEO and co-founder of Substack, the platform empowering creators to build independent media businesses. In this fireside chat, Chris shares his founding story and discusses how to navigate controversy and why having strong values matters more than pleasing everyone.
0:00 - Substack CEO: Mission-Driven Startups Beat “Mercenary” Founders
2:08 - Origin Story: The Essay That Turned Into Substack
3:01 - Startup Hiring: How Values Create a “Polarizing Filter” (Culture Fit)
4:46 - Freedom of Speech on Substack: The Core Platform Philosophy
5:57 - Hard Question for Teams: Enabling Creators You Disagree With
7:28 - Building a Media Tech Company: Balancing Culture + Engineering
9:39 - AI vs Creators: Why People Call It “Slop” (Taste Still Wins)
15:18 - Will AI Replace Coding? What “Software Engineering” Becomes
17:17 - Creator Economy Explained: Substack’s “New Social Contract” Thesis
29:10 - Startup Playbook: Sci‑Fi Vision + Short-Term Plan (PMF + Growth)
💡 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
📧 Want to know what we look for in applications? Subscribe to our newsletter and find out: speedrun.substack.com
📲 Follow us for more insights:
➡️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/speedrun
➡️ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/a16zspeedrun
#a16z #speedrun #substack #media
