Giant Ideas

Епизоди

• Deel Speed: From $1M to $100M in Less Than 2 Years - Deel Co-founder, Alex Bouaziz 02.07.2026 35мин

  Today, we're joined by Alex Bouaziz, co-founder and CEO of Deel, the global HR and payroll platform now serving companies across 150+ countries with more than $1 billion in annual revenue. Tommy Stadlen talks to Alex about how Deel became the fastest startup to reach $100M in recurring revenue: and why that record came down to one thing: following customers. Alex explains why Deel launched with contractors when everyone else went after employees, how they carried the intensity of Y Combinator...
• Cityblock Co-Founder, Toyin Ajayi: What Happens When You Treat Healthcare as a Right, Not a Transaction? 25.06.2026 42мин

  Today, we're joined by Toyin Ajayi, co-founder and CEO of Cityblock Health and a former doctor who trained in the NHS before taking on the US healthcare. Toyin built Cityblock to serve people on Medicaid. The company is now around $1.5bn in annual revenue, with 150,000 members across 11 states. Tommy Stadlen talks to her about her giant idea, value-based care: why she thinks paying doctors for procedures instead of real outcomes is the root of America's healthcare crisis, why the patients who...
• iPod & iPhone Inventor, Tony Fadell: Why Saying No Was Steve Jobs' Biggest Skill 18.06.2026 22мин

  Today, we're joined by Tony Fadell, the inventor of the iPod and co-inventor of the iPhone. Tony is the founder of Nest (the smart thermostat acquired by Google) and the New York Times best-selling author of Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making. In this second episode, Tommy Stadlen talks to Tony about his years working alongside Steve Jobs and what he's learned about building a career, why he thinks saying "no" is the most underrated skill in product, and why giving credi...
• "We Had to Kill the Ipod To Save Apple" - iPod & iPhone Inventor, Tony Fadell 11.06.2026 37мин

  Today, we're joined by Tony Fadell, inventor of the iPod, co-inventor of the iPhone, and founder of Nest, acquired by Google. He's also the New York Times bestselling author of Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making, and has invested in over 100 companies working across AI, surgery, textiles, and drug discovery. Tommy Stadlen talks to Tony about why Apple was so close to collapse when it bet on the iPod, why no single AI device will replace the smartphone, and the two-year i...
• Twilio & Inertia Co-founder, Jeff Lawson: Is Nuclear Fusion The Holy Grail of Energy? 04.06.2026 43мин

  Today, we're joined by Jeff Lawson - co-founder of Twilio and now founder of Inertia, a fusion energy company commercialising the Lawrence Livermore fusion breakthrough (the first experiment to produce more energy from fusion than it consumed.) Cameron McLain talks to Jeff about why he thinks the barriers to fusion are manufacturing problems, not physics problems, what a 10-15 year timeline to grid energy actually looks like, and why he thinks SaaS is heading for a structural reckoning. He sp...
• Lightspeed Co-founder Barry Eggers: Are Billion-Dollar Seed Rounds the New Normal? 28.05.2026 47мин

  Please note: The content of this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It should not be considered financial, legal, or investment advice. Always consult a licensed professional before making any investment decisions. In this episode, Cameron McLain sits down with Barry Eggers, co‑founder of Lightspeed Venture Partners (≈$40B AUM), to decode what’s really happening in today’s venture market. From trillion‑dollar IPOs and billion‑dollar seed rounds to AI, robotics, and ...
• Drama Is Conflict, Brand Is Character: Lessons from Nike, Airbnb and Apple with AKQA & Studio.one's Ajaz Ahmed 21.05.2026 38мин

  On this episode of Giant Ideas, Tommy sits down with Ajaz Ahmed, founder of AKQA and now Studio.One, to decode what truly iconic brands have in common — from Nike, Apple and Disney to Gymshark, and how founders can learn from them. Ajaz argues that “great brands are great storytellers” with a clear desire to right a wrong in the world. He shares lessons from two decades with Nike, why authenticity and category focus still win, and how founders racing from zero to billions can build brands tha...
• “I’m a Pathological Optimist” - Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales' Life Lessons 14.05.2026 18мин

  In this episode of Giant Ideas, Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, discusses how trust, purpose, and community design shaped one of the world’s most used websites. He reflects on three photographs that define his life, Wikipedia’s core purpose and why transparency, clear purpose, and walking the walk are central to trust. He also shares the trust framework of building trust, and why execution matters more than idea secrecy, and the real‑world costs of living in mistrust. -------------------...
• Wikipedia Founder, Jimmy Wales: What Can You Trust In The Age of AI? 07.05.2026 35мин

  Why did Wikipedia stay donation-funded and ad-free while OpenAI raced toward billions in GPU spend and a hybrid for‑profit model? In this episode, Jimmy Wales joins Tommy and Cameron to unpack how business models factor in truth, trust, and the future of knowledge online. Jimmy explains why he has no regrets about keeping Wikipedia a nonprofit, what he’s learned from two decades of volunteer-driven knowledge creation, and how AI changes the way we’ll all consume information. Key points: Nonpr...
• "Hard Work, Grit, Tenacity and Not Giving Up" - Robinhood Co-Founder Baiju Bhatt's Life Lessons 30.04.2026 25мин

  In this episode of Giant Ideas, Cameron sits down with the co‑founder of Robinhood to talk about where it all began, and what founders today can learn. They discuss: - The origin story & friendship of the co-founders of Robinhood: Growing up as children of immigrant and meeting at Stanford - 75 VC rejections: Why investors said young people would never invest, and what those VCs fundamentally missed - Founder mindset: Changing your mind as a superpower, “gradient descent” as a way to ...
• Robinhood & Aetherflux Co-Founder Baiju Bhatt: It's Time To Commercialise Space 23.04.2026 34мин

  Baiju Bhatt, the co-founder & CEO of Robinhood, has a vision that the Earth will one day be like Saturn - with rings in outer space. Baiju's latest company is Aetherflux: building solar panels in space, with energy harvested continuously from the sun, and transmitting it back to Earth or directly to AI infrastructure in orbit, via laser. The economics of space-based energy are becoming interesting, and the target metric is straightforward: get cost per GPU hour competitive with Eart...
• Rebuild Your Life Around Friendship (Before It's Too Late): Vivek Murthy's Life Lessons 16.04.2026 26мин

  In episode two with former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, he reflects on the hidden epidemic of loneliness through the story of his own life. Moving from a tight‑knit immigrant family, to the healing power of nature, to the weight of taking the oath as Surgeon General, he shares how meaning and resilience are rooted in relationships rather than status or achievement. Vivek shares how forming a Moai (a small, committed circle of friends) transformed his life, why success in any caree...
• Former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: Is Technology Fuelling a Loneliness Epidemic? 09.04.2026 33мин

  In this episode, former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy explains why loneliness has become a defining problem of modern life. He explains why: - The crucial difference between being alone and feeling lonely, - How mobility, social media, and the decline of traditional communities have eroded our sense of belonging - Why young men are emerging as one of the most vulnerable groups. - How loneliness isn’t just emotionally painful: it carries health risks comparable to smoking and obesity, and ...
• “Ambition Without Execution is Delusion", Form Energy CEO Mateo Jaramillo on Starting Form Energy 02.04.2026 11мин

  Cameron sits down with Mateo Jaramillo, the former Tesla exec building one of the most ambitious climate companies in the world: Form Energy. In this bonus episode, they dive into WHY he started the company, why one challenge coin in West Virginia changed everything, the three photographs that defined his life so far... Building a purpose driven company? Read more about Giant Ventures at www.Giant.vc. Music credits: Bubble King written and produced by Cameron McLain and Stevan Cablayan ...
• Form Energy CEO Mateo Jaramillo: Building the Largest Battery System in the World 26.03.2026 34мин

  Cameron sits down with Matteo Jaramillo, the former Tesla exec building one of the most ambitious climate companies in the world: Form Energy. They dive into long-duration energy storage, the AI-driven demand boom, and what it takes to scale hard tech from idea to gigawatt-hours. - Why Matteo left a path toward the priesthood after Yale Divinity School - Simple breakdown of iron-air batteries - Why 100-hour duration matters for grid reliability and extreme weather - How iron-air can be ~10x ...
• "Mothers Can Do it All. They Just Shouldn't Do it On Their Own" - Former NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's Life Lessons 19.03.2026 12мин

  In this episode of Giant Ideas, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern returns to explore the person behind the public role. Invited to choose three photographs that define her life, Jacinda reflects on a childhood shaped by New Zealand, parents who modelled service and fairness, and the early experiences that forged her lifelong commitment to tackling inequality and child poverty. She shares a candid glimpse into the emotional weight of leadership, including the lasting impact of M...
• Former NZ Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern: How to Lead with Compassion When Everything’s on Fire 12.03.2026 25мин

  Today on the podcast we are joined by Jacinda Ardern - former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and the world's youngest female head of government. This is a conversation for anyone who wants to lead with kindness, and learn how to deal with high pressure situations. As PM, Jacinda became famous worldwide for her unique leadership style: leading with compassion and empathy. A 'different kind of power’ as she puts it. Her time in office was marked by her handling of major crises. She rush...
• "They Haven’t Got a Clue How Remorseless the Pressure Is", Former Meta President Nick Clegg on His Life Lessons 05.03.2026 24мин

  Former UK Deputy Prime Minister and ex‑President of Global Affairs at Meta Nick Clegg returns for a deeply personal conversation. Nick reflects on the three “photographs” that define his life: a chaotic, international childhood; the unexpected joy of being locked down with his wife Miriam and their three sons on a remote ranch in Montana; and the searing public failures of losing power and his parliamentary seat. Along the way, he shares what it takes to sustain a high‑pressure dual‑career ma...
• Former Meta President & Deputy PM, Nick Clegg: Is Social Media Driving Us Apart? 26.02.2026 40мин

  Nick Clegg is the former UK Deputy Prime Minister and former President, Global Affairs at Meta. He has had a front seat to two of the biggest power structures globally: Westminster and Silicon Valley. At Meta, he became the company’s chief policy decision-maker, meeting with world leaders, governments and policymakers around the globe. He has written two best-selling books, Politics: Between the Extremes and How To Stop Brexit (And Make Britain Great Again). His latest book: "How to S...
• "Ego Destruction and Humility…": US Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang on Running for President 19.02.2026 17мин

  Andrew Yang joins the Giant Ideas podcast again, this time offering a deeper dive behind the person behind his giant ideas. Andrew ran for president in 2020, and is the founder of a nonprofit called Humanity Forward, and the Forward Party, a new political party in America aiming to bridge partisan divides. Today his focus is on his new company - launched in late 2025. With Noble Mobile, aiming to cut out the middle man and make mobile data cheaper for Americans. In this episode we talk about:...