Founder Mode – Episode 18 – Perfect Days With Your Ride-Or-Dies

by Lynnette Casem

Episode 18: In this candid, fast-paced solo episode, Jason and Kevin unpack the systems behind their ideal weeks, why founders should prioritize health like a product launch, and how to build a ride-or-die team that spans multiple startups. From hiding jets from repo men to wearing smart glasses on the beach, they share war stories, personal rituals, and the mindset that separates cautious operators from calculated risk-takers.

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Founder Mode – Episode 32 – Will AI Replace Developers with Natalie Kaminski

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Founder Mode – Episode 32 – Will AI Replace Developers with Natalie Kaminski

EPISODE 32: Founder Mode sits down with Natalie Kaminski of JetRockets to cut through AI hype in software development. Natalie shares findings from a five-month experiment using code assistants: top engineers see ~30% efficiency on tedious tasks, but AI can duplicate components, forget context, and mislead juniors who can’t evaluate output. She argues developers matter...

Founder Mode – Episode 23 – From Stonks to AI for Everyone with John Hancock

Thursday, September 4, 2025

Founder Mode – Episode 23 – From Stonks to AI for Everyone with John Hancock

EPISODE 23: In this episode of Founder Mode, John Hancock joins us to break down the gap between startup hype and reality. From building Stonks—the largest angel syndication platform on AngelList—to walking away when the mission no longer fit, John shares what he’s learned about fundraising, pivots, and rebuilding with first principles. He introduces Validate,...

Founder Mode – Episode 31 – Founder Mode Live at San Francisco Tech Week with Max Mullen (Instacart) & Andrew Ofstad (Airtable)

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Founder Mode – Episode 31 – Founder Mode Live at San Francisco Tech Week with Max Mullen (Instacart) & Andrew Ofstad (Airtable)

EPISODE 31: In this live Founder Mode episode recorded at Workshop in San Francisco, Jason and Kevin sit down with two of the most influential builders in modern tech—Max Mullen, Co-Founder of Instacart, and Andrew Ofstad, Co-Founder of Airtable. They share never-before-heard founding stories, from Instacart’s $20K Trader Joe’s hack to Airtable’s first prototype built...

Founder Mode – Episode 30 – AI + Automation: What to Ship First with Sangya Singh

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Founder Mode – Episode 30 – AI + Automation: What to Ship First with Sangya Singh

EPISODE 30: Microsoft product leader Sangya Singh joins Jason and Kevin to unpack how to decide what to ship first in AI and automation. She shares a “strategy to win” playbook (fall in love with the problem, define the hypothesis, then hire and build), why agility must be daily not monthly, and how Microsoft balances...

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