TLDR FOUNDERS 2025-06-16

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GOOGLE SHUT THE DOOR ON COMPETITION, AI SWUNG IT BACK OPEN

Google killed the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button because it cost the company $100M/year in lost ads. The company's entire model depends on showing links so it can show ads above them. Now AI threatens to give direct answers instead of links.

AI-POWERED WORK ASSISTANT GLEAN LANDS $150M AT $7.2B VALUATION

Glean, an enterprise AI startup, raised $150 million in Series F funding, boosting its valuation to $7.2 billion. The capital will accelerate product innovation, partner ecosystem expansion, and international growth.

LINEAR'S $82M SERIES C AND AI VISION

Linear raised $82M in a Series C round, valuing the company at $1.25B. The company will enhance its product while resisting traditional "best practices" and focusing on delivering quality experiences. The funds will further integrate AI into Linear's tools, making workflows more efficient by accommodating AI agents. Linear is committed to maintaining profitability and innovation for its 15,000+ clients, including major names like OpenAI and CashApp.

FROM CHURN TO GROWTH: MAPPING YOUR EXPANSION PLAYBOOK

SMB churn is killing your NRR. The difference between 99% and 105% retention can make or break your next fundraise. Before throwing bodies at the problem, figure out if your expansions come from inbound requests or require outbound hunting - this determines whether you need better self-serve paths or actual sales plays.

THE BATTLE FOR DATA OWNERSHIP

Slack just made it nearly impossible to export your own data with new API limits of one request per minute and by blocking third-party tools from indexing conversations. This matters because incumbents like Slack and Salesforce are terrified that AI agents will handle all the actual work while they're reduced to storage systems, so they're locking down access and forcing users to use their agents instead.

HOW TO SUPERCHARGE YOUR STARTUP WITH YOUR FIRST SENIOR HIRE

Hiring a senior leader can transform a startup by offloading responsibilities and providing strategic partnership. Founders should prioritize candidates who offer relevant domain expertise and a collaborative mindset, ensuring they complement rather than overshadow the existing team. Clear expectations and thoughtful integration boost the chances of success with senior hires.

STRAWBERRY

Strawberry is an AI-powered browser that accelerates research, writing, and task automation across the web.

SPRING.NEW BETA

spring.new is an AI agent that instantly builds custom apps, workflows, and tools tailored to your needs.

BUILDFORM

Buildform is an AI-powered form builder built to boost engagement and conversions that offers unlimited responses, partial saves, and smart logic.

ELAD GIL'S FRAMEWORK FOR SPOTTING BILLION-DOLLAR MARKETS

Minted looked like a wedding invitation site. Gusto was boring payroll software. Both became billion-dollar companies. Elad Gil's playbook: find markets everyone avoids for dumb reasons. Payments were "too risky" until Stripe built better fraud tools. Gusto's founders watched their parents struggle with ADP monthly and fixed it.

A NEW MVC IS EMERGING

The classic Model/View/Controller pattern that has guided software for decades is being flipped by AI. Instead of rigid relationships between data, interface, and logic, we're moving to intelligent agents that dynamically orchestrate distributed systems. LLMs become Models (grown not built), Apps become Views (just interfaces, not data stores), and Agents become Controllers (making real-time decisions across systems).

ASANA VS MONDAY.COM

Asana traded higher than Monday.com in 2021 despite worse metrics because Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz owns 56% and pumped $1B into the stock. The market bought his "future of work" narrative over Monday's actual numbers. Today, the truth is brutal: Monday trades at 3x Asana's multiple with 30% margins vs 1%, grows 3x faster, and has 112% NRR, while Asana's collapsed to 95%. Build a business that wins on fundamentals, not founder mystique.

SAM ALTMAN ON BUILDING FACEBOOK-SIZED COMPANIES

Build something so good people spontaneously tell their friends.

FINDING YOUR PACE

Founders burn out trying to stay the fastest person on the team.

THE DURABLE GROWTH IMPERATIVE: GO TO MARKET EFFICIENCY

GTM efficiency is crucial for sustainable growth in a capital-constrained market.