Gillian, it was great to hear about the company's mission. But I feel like that's all I heard. I was interested to know where she got funding for her startup, what challenges she has faced, and specific details about her leadership and the culture at Soapply. It seemed that in each answer, the mission was rehashed without much substance. I also found it odd that she traveled so much to learn how to make liquid soap. With environmental sustainability such a focus, lots of jet fuel was spent on those trips. I'm amazed how costly those trips would have been. It seems she was not on a tight budget.

What happens when companies grow exponentially in a short amount of time -- to their organization, their product planning, their behavior towards change itself? In this "hallway conversation", a16z partners Steven Sinofsky and Benedict Evans discuss the business tactics and strategies behind four of the largest tech companies -- Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon -- and how they work from an org perspective. 

From the outside, these giants can seem composed of disparate entities literally strewn around the globe; it can be hard (sometimes purposefully so) to understand or detect the strategy that knits them all together. But in fact each of these large companies have very specific approaches to organization and strategy, and what's good for Google isn't necessarily right for Amazon or Apple. Evans and Sinofsky discuss the rationale behind each company's org, looking at the tactics and strategies that are best for the underlying platform, how each thinks of its varied product entities, and how their organizations are all designed differently around their core capabilities and products.

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The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by a16z. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, a16z has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation.
 
This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by a16z, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by funds managed by Andreessen Horowitz (excluding investments and certain publicly traded cryptocurrencies/ digital assets for which the issuer has not provided permission for a16z to disclose publicly) is available at https://a16z.com/investments/.

Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Please see https://a16z.com/disclosures for additional important information.

a16z Podcast: The Strategies and Tactics of Big

Melissa Andrada's purpose in life is to empower people to be their best selves at work. Melissa is the COO of Learnerbly, a VC-backed startup that help companies that include IDEO, GoCardless and ustwo accelerate the growth of their people. She co-founded the corporate learning arm of Wolff Olins to scale their impact with clients. While at Wolff Olins, she also helped shape the original strategic vision for FutureLearn, and  co-created their first (and one of their mostly highly rated) MOOC on the Secret Power of Brands.When's she not at work, she organises communities for social justice, and teaches classes at General Assembly on how to find your dream job.

In this episode we talk about how managers can approach learning for both their teams and themselves.

Learning to Learn with Melissa Andrada

with Nicole Forsgren (@nicolefv), Jez Humble (@jezhumble) and Sonal Chokshi (@smc90)

From the old claim that "IT doesn't matter" and question of whether tech truly drives organizational performance, we've been consumed with figuring out how to measure -- and predict -- the output and outcomes, the performance and productivity of software. It's not useful to talk about what happens in one isolated team or successful company; we need to be able to make it happen at any company -- of any size, industry vertical, or architecture/tech stack. But can we break the false dichotomy of performance vs. speed; is it possible to have it all? 

This episode of the a16z Podcast boldly goes where no man has gone before -- trying to answer those elusive questions -- by drawing on one of the largest, large-scale studies of software and organizational performance out there, as presented in the new book, Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps -- Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim. Forsgren (co-founder and CEO at DevOps Research and Assessment - DORA; PhD in Management Information Systems; formerly at IBM) and Humble (co-founder and CTO at DORA; formerly at 18F; and co-author of The DevOps Handbook, Lean Enterprise, and Continuous Delivery) share the latest findings about what drives performance in companies of all kinds.

But what is DevOps, really? And beyond the definitions and history, where does DevOps fit into the broader history and landscape of other tech movements (such as lean manufacturing, agile development, lean startups, microservices)? Finally, what kinds of companies are truly receptive to change, beyond so-called organizational "maturity" scores? And for pete's sake, can we figure out how to measure software productivity already?? All this and more in this episode!

a16z Podcast: Feedback Loops -- Company Culture, Change, and DevOps

Gillian sits down with team and personal coach Kate Rees to talk about the vital role vulnerability plays in leadership. She shares how managers can not only get comfortable with it themselves but how to create the space for teams to feel safe as well.

Vulnerability in Leadership with Kate Rees

The rise of conscious consumerism means there’s even more need to know where to turn to do the right thing. Today’s guest, Mera McGrew, is the founder of social enterprise Soapply, a sustainable hand wash company. She joins me as we discuss how micro-movements drive change, the mission-driven company’s culture, and making every part of a product purposeful.

After living and working in Africa, Mera saw first-hand the reality of preventable child mortality and the difference that sustainable investments in water, sanitation, and hygiene could have on an individual, community, and region. Returning to the US, the connection was simple — everyone needs soap. Soapply provides consumers premium, toxin-free soap that helps put soap in the hands of those who cannot afford it around the world. As Mera says, “when you stay healthy you have an opportunity to learn, work, and do anything you want to do”.

Links mentioned in this show
www.SoapplyBox.com

Hosted by Gillian Davis, co-author 'First Time Leader; Foundational Tools to Inspire and Enable Your New Team' this podcast is to inspire managers to step up and lead their teams. We talk to those on the front line and get managers to share what has worked, what hasn't and what resources they have tried and tested.

This podcast is powered by OverTime an agency that helps new leaders build great teams, products and, companies. For more information, visit www.OverTimeLeader.com.

Being Mission-Driven And Changing The World Through Soap with Founder Mera McGrew

The world needs a new style of leadership. 

We interview the game changers and rule breakers to inspire all of us to push against the status quo and lead us towards a better future. 

Hosted by Gillian Davis, author "First Time Leader" and founder OverTime Leader, she is a transformational leadership expert on a mission to empower leaders to lead change. Since 2017 she’s been at the helm of her leadership advisory business OverTime Leader, working with leaders in forward-thinking, fast-moving companies like TaskRabbit, Wetransfer, and Spotify. She focuses on helping executives define and shape the right leadership style and company culture that will enable them to scale fast, effectively, and inclusively. learn more www.overtimeleader.com
This podcast is powered by OverTime an agency that helps new leaders build great teams, products and, companies.

Being Mission-Driven And Changing The World Through Soap with Founder Mera McGrew

You Got This - Inspiring Leaders to Ignite Change

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