S15E1: Building the Infrastructure for Voice AI with Russ d'Sa, Co-Founder and CEO of LiveKit

2026-09-22 · 61 min · episode 1 · 15 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

→ appeared on The Room Podcast podcast

0.68

evidence rules-v5
S15E1: Building the Infrastructure for Voice AI with Russ d'Sa, Co-Founder and CEO of LiveKit
→ hosted by Claudia Laurie and Madison McIlwain person

0.55

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Claudia Laurie & Madison Mcilwain
→ works at LiveKit company

0.50

evidence rules-v5
CEO of LiveKit
→ discusses Business company

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Business
→ discusses Technology company

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Technology
→ discusses Entrepreneurship website

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Entrepreneurship
→ discusses Investing concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Investing

Entities found in this episode

companys 6

mentioned LiveKit company

0.62

evidence rules-v5
CEO of LiveKit
mentioned Business company

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Business
mentioned Technology company

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Technology
works at LiveKit company

0.50

evidence rules-v5
CEO of LiveKit
discusses Business company

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Business
discusses Technology company

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Technology

persons 3

mentioned Russ d'Sa person

0.72

evidence rules-v5
S15E1: Building the Infrastructure for Voice AI with Russ d'Sa, Co-Founder and CEO of LiveKit
mentioned Claudia Laurie and Madison McIlwain person

0.70

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Claudia Laurie and Madison McIlwain
hosted by Claudia Laurie and Madison McIlwain person

0.55

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Claudia Laurie & Madison Mcilwain

concepts 3

mentioned Investing concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Investing
discusses Investing concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Investing
mentioned CEO concept

0.35

evidence rules-v5
CEO

websites 2

mentioned Entrepreneurship website

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Entrepreneurship
discusses Entrepreneurship website

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Entrepreneurship

podcasts 1

appeared on The Room Podcast podcast

0.68

evidence rules-v5
S15E1: Building the Infrastructure for Voice AI with Russ d'Sa, Co-Founder and CEO of LiveKit

Episode description as stored

In this season 15 opener of The Room Podcast, we speak with Russ d'Sa , co-founder and CEO of LiveKit , a platform for building real-time voice, video, and AI agents. LiveKit began as an open-source project for live audio and video. As developers adopted it, the team built cloud infrastructure to help them scale. A second turning point came when OpenAI used LiveKit to build a voice interface for ChatGPT, revealing how technology built to connect people could also connect people with AI. Russ traces his path from growing up around computers in Canada and Silicon Valley to founding a startup, working at 23andMe and Twitter, and building LiveKit. He shares the unexpected relationships and product decisions that shaped the company, including why he calls it the “accidental AI company.” In this conversation, Russ explains why speaking with an AI requires a different kind of infrastructure from typing to one. He also looks ahead to physical AI and reflects on how becoming a father has changed the way he thinks about success and his values. Learn more about Russ on LinkedIn and explore LiveKit . (03:54) Where did Russ grow up, and how did it shape him? (06:42) Did Russ always expect to become a founder? (07:30) What screen did Russ watch the documentary on? (09:09) Has Russ read *Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow*? (09:17) What was Russ’s first Y Combinator company? (09:24) Was Russ's company a gaming company? (11:13) What year did Russ start that company? (11:40) Did Russ join Twitter after his first startup? (11:51) How did Russ make the transition to 23andMe? (13:22) How did 23andMe eventually lead Russ to Twitter? (16:51) Was Russ's Twitter role in software or content? (22:45) What was the original idea behind LiveKit? (30:17) Did LiveKit finally arrive at the right time? (30:37) Who was LiveKit’s first investor? (33:08) What has gone differently than planned while scaling LiveKit? (35:07) Where does LiveKit fit between AI models and the software built around them? (40:40) What makes building voice agents different from building text agents? (45:24) What still prevents AI voice conversations from feeling fully natural? (49:41) What is Russ excited about on LiveKit’s roadmap, and what can he share? (53:16) Which woman has had a profound impact on Russ's life and career? For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter . Follow us on Instagram Follow us on TikTok Check out our guide to podcasting here! Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music! Brought to you by: Rippling , Gradial , Ashurst Perkins Coie WX Productions