Zillow CEO Rich Barton on branding, building in provocative industries, and more! | E1791
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.2 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 11 August 2023
⏱️ 81 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This Week in Startups is brought to you by…
Crowdbotics. Great ideas can change the world, and Crowdbotics is the fastest way to turn those ideas into code. Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist
OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at openphone.com/twist
Fitbod. Tired of doing the same workouts at the gym? Fitbod will build you personalized workouts that help you progress with every set. Get 25% off your subscription or try out the app for FREE when you sign up now at fitbod.me/TWIST.
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Today’s show:
Rich Barton joins Jason to give a masterclass on his thought process behind creating evocative top-tier brands like Zillow, Expedia, and Glassdoor. (22:02) Rich also discusses the lessons he learned from Bill Gates during his time at Microsoft (49:22), how tech management has evolved (57:04), and more!
Rich's blog on branding: https://www.hopperanddropper.com/syllables-scrabble-letters-and-picking-brand-names
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Time stamps:
(0:00) Zillow CEO Rich Barton joins Jason
(1:58) The creation of Zillow’s Zestimate
(7:03) “Tension and Importance” and empowering people in the workplace
(13:24) Crowdbotics - Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist
(14:53) Branding and creating iconic company names
(16:53) Navigating major layoffs
(22:02) Back to building top-tier brands, “What got us here, won’t get us there”
(27:54) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist
(29:25) Steering the complex dynamics of startup-attorney interactions
(33:22) Defying convention to create stellar products and the effects digital currency
(37:54) Fitbod - Get 25% off at https://fitbod.me/twist
(39:23) Innovating in the real estate industry
(49:22) Lessons Rich learned from Bill Gates during his time at Microsoft
(57:04) How tech management has evolved
(1:01:27) How Covid-19 and remote work changed the landscape
(1:07:02) The concept of “iBuying”
(1:10:31) Continuous high-interest rates, “zoom towns”, and the “great reshuffling”
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Follow Rich: https://twitter.com/Rich_Barton
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Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four
Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply
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Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt
Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | 12 years ago when I started this show it was you know a thousand people listening now to quarter |
| 0:04.1 | million and all ends a million you know it's it's a lot of listeners and I was getting my blood |
| 0:09.9 | drawn because I'm on this health kick and the phlebotomist came to the house and he's like halfway |
| 0:16.4 | through taking 20 bites and he's like I just want to say and I was like fan of the pie and he's |
| 0:21.6 | like yeah so you want to take a selfie he said I really do but I get fired whatever it's it |
| 0:27.1 | let's do it don't tell your boss then I go to dinner at the same night and I'm like I got to eat |
| 0:31.6 | a chicken parme I saw somebody had tweeted a chicken parme so I go I got a chicken parme |
| 0:35.7 | find the best one on yelp the waiter's like I hate to do this and I'm like fan of the pod |
| 0:40.4 | big time I go to Berkeley whatever and I think okay you want to take a selfie yeah I said let's do |
| 0:45.6 | it in the parking lot so you don't get fired so we went to the back in the parking lot I take a |
| 0:49.2 | picture with him it's very weird it is very weird well congratulations you should feel good you've |
| 0:55.1 | been working out at a long time so well done yeah you know I think it's like uh there's also |
| 1:00.1 | something about like um doing things and I think it's a really good part of our conversation hey |
| 1:05.6 | everybody welcome to this we can start up which partners here we were off to the races this |
| 1:09.4 | weekend startups is brought to you by crowd botics great ideas can change the world and crowd |
| 1:15.9 | botics is the fastest way to turn those ideas into code get a free scoping session for your next big |
| 1:22.1 | app idea at crowdbotics.com slash whist open phone brings your team's business calls |
| 1:28.5 | texts and contacts into one delightful app that works anywhere get 20% off your first six months |
| 1:35.2 | at openphone.com slash whist and fit pod tired of doing the same workouts at the gym fit |
| 1:43.2 | pod will build you personalized workouts that help you progress with every set get 25% off your |
| 1:49.6 | subscription or try out the app for free when you sign up now at bitbod.me slash whist. |
| 1:57.5 | So Rich Barden is the uh or was the founder of Expedia class door and now the CEO of Zillow |
... |
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