Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)

2023-11-26 · 100 min · 52 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

→ references High Growth Handbook Elad Gil book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/High-Growth-Handbook-Elad-Gil/dp/1732265100
→ references Fire Upon Deep Zones Thought book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/Fire-Upon-Deep-Zones-Thought/dp/0812515285
→ references Meg Whitman person

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meg_Whitman
→ references Joe Kennedy person

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://linkedin.com/in/joe-kennedy-329417
→ references Flashtags website

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://lane.substack.com/p/flashtags
→ references Subtle Art Not Giving Counterintuitive book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/Subtle-Art-Not-Giving-Counterintuitive/dp/0062457713
→ references Hyperion Cantos Dan Simmons book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/Hyperion-Cantos-Dan-Simmons/dp/0553283685
→ references Steve Wilhite person

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wilhite
→ hosted by Lenny Rachitsky person

0.55

evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Lenny Rachitsky
→ works at Zero company

0.50

evidence rules-v4
CEO of Zero
→ works at Zero company

0.50

evidence rules-v4
CEO of Zero
→ discusses Technology company

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Technology
→ discusses Business concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Business
→ discusses Entrepreneurship concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Entrepreneurship
→ references penname.co website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://penname.co/
→ references Brian Cheskys New Playbook person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://lennyspodcast.com/brian-cheskys-new-playbook
→ references flickr.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://flickr.com/
→ references Watchmen website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://hbo.com/watchmen
→ references Charles Eames person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://brainyquote.com/quotes/charles_eames_169188
→ references Pets Com Failure person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://fourweekmba.com/pets-com-failure
→ references Tiktok New Show Tv Takeover company

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://wired.com/story/tiktok-new-show-tv-takeover
→ references Ikigai website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://positivepsychology.com/ikigai
→ references Stream Tv person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://peacocktv.com/stream-tv/mrs-davis
→ references Lost 466b3994 B574 44f1 88bc 63707507a6cb website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://hulu.com/series/lost-466b3994-b574-44f1-88bc-63707507a6cb
→ references Eartune Fidelity Ufa person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://eartune.com/products/eartune-fidelity-ufa
→ references compuserve.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://compuserve.com/

Entities found in this episode

persons 18

mentioned Meg Whitman person

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meg_Whitman
mentioned Joe Kennedy person

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://linkedin.com/in/joe-kennedy-329417
mentioned Steve Wilhite person

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wilhite
references Meg Whitman person

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meg_Whitman
references Joe Kennedy person

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://linkedin.com/in/joe-kennedy-329417
references Steve Wilhite person

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wilhite
mentioned Lenny Rachitsky person

0.70

evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Lenny Rachitsky
hosted by Lenny Rachitsky person

0.55

evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Lenny Rachitsky
mentioned Brian Cheskys New Playbook person

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://lennyspodcast.com/brian-cheskys-new-playbook
mentioned Charles Eames person

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://brainyquote.com/quotes/charles_eames_169188
mentioned Pets Com Failure person

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://fourweekmba.com/pets-com-failure
mentioned Stream Tv person

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://peacocktv.com/stream-tv/mrs-davis
mentioned Eartune Fidelity Ufa person

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://eartune.com/products/eartune-fidelity-ufa
references Brian Cheskys New Playbook person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://lennyspodcast.com/brian-cheskys-new-playbook
references Charles Eames person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://brainyquote.com/quotes/charles_eames_169188
references Pets Com Failure person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://fourweekmba.com/pets-com-failure
references Stream Tv person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://peacocktv.com/stream-tv/mrs-davis
references Eartune Fidelity Ufa person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://eartune.com/products/eartune-fidelity-ufa

websites 14

mentioned Flashtags website

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://lane.substack.com/p/flashtags
references Flashtags website

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://lane.substack.com/p/flashtags
mentioned penname.co website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://penname.co/
mentioned flickr.com website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://flickr.com/
mentioned Watchmen website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://hbo.com/watchmen
mentioned Ikigai website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://positivepsychology.com/ikigai
mentioned Lost 466b3994 B574 44f1 88bc 63707507a6cb website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://hulu.com/series/lost-466b3994-b574-44f1-88bc-63707507a6cb
mentioned compuserve.com website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://compuserve.com/
references penname.co website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://penname.co/
references flickr.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://flickr.com/
references Watchmen website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://hbo.com/watchmen
references Ikigai website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://positivepsychology.com/ikigai
references Lost 466b3994 B574 44f1 88bc 63707507a6cb website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://hulu.com/series/lost-466b3994-b574-44f1-88bc-63707507a6cb
references compuserve.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://compuserve.com/

books 8

mentioned High Growth Handbook Elad Gil book

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/High-Growth-Handbook-Elad-Gil/dp/1732265100
mentioned Fire Upon Deep Zones Thought book

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/Fire-Upon-Deep-Zones-Thought/dp/0812515285
mentioned Subtle Art Not Giving Counterintuitive book

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/Subtle-Art-Not-Giving-Counterintuitive/dp/0062457713
mentioned Hyperion Cantos Dan Simmons book

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/Hyperion-Cantos-Dan-Simmons/dp/0553283685
references High Growth Handbook Elad Gil book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/High-Growth-Handbook-Elad-Gil/dp/1732265100
references Fire Upon Deep Zones Thought book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/Fire-Upon-Deep-Zones-Thought/dp/0812515285
references Subtle Art Not Giving Counterintuitive book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/Subtle-Art-Not-Giving-Counterintuitive/dp/0062457713
references Hyperion Cantos Dan Simmons book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://amazon.com/Hyperion-Cantos-Dan-Simmons/dp/0553283685

companys 7

mentioned Zero company

0.62

evidence rules-v4
CEO of Zero
mentioned Technology company

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Technology
works at Zero company

0.50

evidence rules-v4
CEO of Zero
works at Zero company

0.50

evidence rules-v4
CEO of Zero
mentioned Tiktok New Show Tv Takeover company

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://wired.com/story/tiktok-new-show-tv-takeover
discusses Technology company

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Technology
references Tiktok New Show Tv Takeover company

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)": https://wired.com/story/tiktok-new-show-tv-takeover

concepts 5

mentioned Business concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Business
mentioned Entrepreneurship concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Entrepreneurship
mentioned Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero concept

0.42

evidence rules-v4
Billion dollar failures, and billion dollar success | Tom Conrad (Quibi, Pandora, Pets.com, Snap, Zero)
discusses Business concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Business
discusses Entrepreneurship concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Entrepreneurship

Episode description as stored

Tom Conrad is the CEO of Zero and on the board of Sonos. He began his career in engineering at Apple, where he helped build key features that remain in iOS today. Tom was previously the VP of Product at Snap and the chief technology officer of Pandora. He also held leadership positions at notable tech flops Pets.com and Quibi, giving him a unique perspective not only on what it takes to build a successful company but also on lessons from failure. In today’s conversation, we discuss: • Lessons learned from the infamous failures of Pets.com and Quibi • Lessons learned from the successes of Apple, Pandora, and Snap • Advice on choosing where to work • Understanding the math formula of a business • How to avoid burnout • Why Tom says not everyone needs to be a founder • What he’s building now — Brought to you by Coda —Meet the evolution of docs | Jira Product Discovery —Atlassian’s new prioritization and roadmapping tool built for product teams | HelpBar by Chameleon —the free in-app universal search solution built for SaaS — Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/billion-dollar-failures-and-billion — Where to find Tom Conrad: • X: https://twitter.com/tconrad • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomconrad/ — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Tom’s background (04:40) Landing a gig at Apple (07:41) Pioneering the blinking folder design on iOS (11:04) Advice on choosing where to work (12:43) The importance of trusting your gut when it comes to people (14:05) Lessons from failed ventures (17:32) Why and how Pets.com shut down (18:30) How Tom’s experience at Quibi renewed his passion for building (28:48) Takeaways from Quibi and why it ultimately failed (31:42) Failing is okay (35:04) Tom’s career at Apple (39:11) Lessons from You Don’t Know Jack (40:24) Lessons from building Pandora (48:24) Looking back at Pandora and what could have been done differently (55:17) How Tom became VP of Product at Snapchat (1:01:31) Tom’s philosophy on being involved as CEO (1:05:51) Tom’s current role as CEO of Zero, and what he’s learned along the way (1:10:37) How Zero builds product (1:18:33) Advice on work-life balance (1:27:22) Contrarian corner: why not everyone needs to be a founder (1:30:08) Lightning round — Referenced: • Ron Lichty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronlichty/ • What happened to Pets.com?: https://fourweekmba.com/pets-com-failure/ • 11 reasons why Quibi crashed and burned in less than a year: https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/22/21528404/quibi-shut-down-cost-subscribers-content-tv-movies-katzenberg-whitman-tiktok-netflix • Meg Whitman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meg_Whitman • Jeffrey Katzenberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-katzenberg-4b3b47123/ • John Sculley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsculley/ • Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/ • How Pandora Soothed the Savage Beast: https://www.fastcompany.com/3001052/how-pandora-soothed-savage-beast • Joe Kennedy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-kennedy-329417/ • Why Did Yahoo Pay $160 Million for Musicmatch?: https://www.wired.com/2007/07/why-did-yahoo-p/ • TikTok Is the New TV: https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-new-show-tv-takeover/ • Evan Spiegel on X: https://twitter.com/evanspiegel • Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/brian-cheskys-new-playbook/ • What sets great teams apart | Lane Shackleton (CPO of Coda): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/what-sets-great-teams-apart-lane-shackleton-cpo-of-coda/ • Flashtags: https://lane.substack.com/p/flashtags • Patrick Spence on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickspence/ • The Philosophy of Ikigai: 3 Examples About Finding Purpose: https://positivepsychology.com/ikigai • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life : https://www.amazon.co