The Aarthi and Sriram Show

The year is 2024 and it has been a few days since the remarkable US elections. Trump is now President elect. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy (both former guests of our podcast!) are leading DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency). What does it all mean for tech, for startups and for skilled immigration? What is the future of journalism and media? Is this election a one of one, or is this the first of many podcast elections? We cover it all here in our solo episode. Chapters 00:01:00:17 – 00:03:21:15: One week after the US elections ⁠00:03:19:26 – 00:14:12:00: DOGE and Elon Musk 00:14:15:21 – 00:22:22:17: Elon, Trump and the new government  00:22:34:07 – 00:27:48:05: The podcast election  00:27:55:07 – 00:33:25:13: Views on journalism - the decline of wired magazine  ⁠00:33:38:03 – 00:47:39:19: Sriram’s view on skilled immigration and country caps  00:47:46:26 – 00:58:35:22: Views on the Trump government  ⁠00:58:50:10 – 01:00:44:26: RFK Jr, FDA and the American food system ⁠01:00:48:27 – The end Follow Sriram: https://www.instagram.com/sriramk/ https://twitter.com/sriramk Follow Aarthi: https://www.instagram.com/aarthir/ https://twitter.com/aarthir Follow the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/aarthiandsriramshow/ https://twitter.com/aarthisrirampod

Some helpful linksMeter - https://www.meter.com/Meter command - https://command.meter.com/Link to Tyler’s book on culture - https://www.amazon.com/Praise-Commercial-Culture-Tyler-Cowen/dp/0674001885Sam Hinkie - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Hinkie0:00 - Intro3:48 - Anil’s early years and background5:23 - Unconventional parenting9:35 - Anil's journey to entrepreneurship12:30 - Sleeping in factories in China15:22 - China VS U.S.18:30 - Why Networks are so important21:35 - Why networking is still an unsolved problem24:10 - Is hardware too hard?26:11 - What does Meter do?37:17 - How does Meter work?41:08 - Future of enterprise software44:00 - Human interaction with AI models46:30 - Why Meter is building AI models50:50 - Spotting young talent54:00 - Anil's framework to find good talent57:30 - How Anil helped Dwarkesh Patel start his podcast1:02:00 - The “X factor” in Anil’s investments1:02:00 - Raising the ambition bar1:06:55 - Escaping the competitive Indian dynamics1:08:38 - How cinema influences entrepreneurship1:17:25 - Why don't we know how planes fly1:19:20 - Lessons from Sam Hinkie1:21:04 - Kindness as an operating principle1:22:10 - Why hasn’t Anil had a more public brand?1:24:03 - US Immigration1:28:00 - Aarthi, Sriram and Anil show?1:30:44 - Best Indian restaurant in London1:32:50 - Has sneaker culture peaked?1:34:25 - Why don’t wealthy people build monuments anymore?1:38:04 - London’s rich history1:40:30 - Why does Sriram have sriramk.eth?1:42:00 - Should all startups go direct on comms?1:47:07 - Are Aarthi and Sriram “too online”?1:49:10 - Sriram’s Silicon Valley groupchats1:49:46 - Will Aarthi and Sriram move back to India?1:48:12 - Aarthi and Sriram’s failures in tech1:53:55 - Netflix’s 3D and streaming software1:58:18 - Popfly1:59:55 - Microsoft success under Satya2:02:00 - On tech execs2:03:10 - Nonfiction book that Aarthi and Sriram would write2:06:27 - Aarthi and Sriram’s favorite Indian movie before 20002:09:48 - The End Follow Sriram:https://www.instagram.com/sriramk/https://twitter.com/sriramkFollow Aarthi:https://www.instagram.com/aarthir/https://twitter.com/aarthirFollow the podcast:https://www.instagram.com/aarthiandsriramshow/https://twitter.com/aarthisrirampod

0:00 - Intro1:10 - Meet Gokul Rajaram, on the Mount Rushmore of Silicon Valley2:19 - Gokul's relationship with Aarthi and Sriram4:00 - What is Founder Mode? And Zuck's Micromanagement6:33 - Founder Mode Vs Management Mode8:26 - Why Gokul disagrees with Paul Graham10:56 - Learnings from Google’s Larry and Sergey15:58 - What were early days at Google like?18:58 - What makes a great CEO?20: 42 - How to engage with high performing executives25:45 - Why Gokul left Google to launch his own startup28:53 - Chamath's Acquisition offer31:30 - Fundraising advice for founders34:13 - Gokul’s HOT take on AI startups38:10 - The evolving consumer apps landscape40:55 - Career Advice for young people48:00 - When is the right time to start a company?52:17 - Why titles don't matter1:01: 45 - Why Gokul left Facebook to join Square1:06:46 - Regret Minimization Framework1:07:28 - Gokul's Best Bet - Doordash1:13:18 - Doordash’s secret hiring process1:16:11 - Sriram’s favorite interview question1:17:30 - Gokul’s advice for first time founders1:20:10 - Final Thoughts Follow Sriram:https://www.instagram.com/sriramk/https://twitter.com/sriramkFollow Aarthi:https://www.instagram.com/aarthir/https://twitter.com/aarthirFollow the podcast:https://www.instagram.com/aarthiandsriramshow/https://twitter.com/aarthisrirampod

Rio Ferdinand is a football legend who spent over a decade playing for Manchester United and was a cornerstone of the England national team. With six Premier League titles, two League Cups, and a UEFA Champions League trophy under his belt, Rio is no stranger to the highs and pressures of elite football. He joined Sriram and Aarthi for a deep dive into the trials and tribulations of a career in competitive sports, the mental and physical demands of playing for one of the world’s most prestigious clubs, and the new wave of young athletes rising to stardom. From his experiences with legends like Sir Alex Ferguson to his thoughts on modern football, Rio shares what it takes to truly be the greatest, not just in sports, but in life.Show Notes: (0:00) Intro(2:03) The English experience during the Euros(3:21) What’s it going to take for England to bring it home(7:19) Jude Bellingham is different (9:23) What separates young prodigies that make it vs. those that don’t(12:01) The all-timers are not normal(15:17) Underdog mentality and fighting for recognition (17:13) Handling the pressure of playing for Man Utd(19:18) Rio rewatches the 2008 UCL Final(21:06) Rio learned this while playing for Sir Alex (21:38) How Sir Alex managed the egos of the best players(28:17) A great team needs experienced players(30:43) Mbappe’s challenge ingraining to Real Madrid (34:06) Parallels between sports and tech(38:06) Tech CEOs and founders are receptive to Rio’s opinions(40:39) Clubs still need to improve how to connect with fans(41:23) Ted Lasso and Rio’s new show(42:10) Ronaldo smashes YouTube records(42:48) Ryan Reynolds and Wrexham are modeling the way for football clubs(48:17) Changing the conversation around mental health in sports(54:52) Rio’s penalty-taking strategies (57:40) How Rio would fix Man Utd (59:33) Biggest lesson from running a restaurant (1:00:47) Rio defends ballet (1:01:59) Meeting a young Drake at Old TraffordOther episodes you might enjoy:EP 63 - Lessons From Networking In Silicon ValleyEP 59 - Why We Moved to London, The Elon Musk Book, Should You Get An MBA Follow Sriram:https://www.instagram.com/sriramk/https://twitter.com/sriramkFollow Aarthi:https://www.instagram.com/aarthir/https://twitter.com/aarthirFollow the podcast:https://www.instagram.com/aarthiandsriramshow/https://twitter.com/aarthisrirampod