Brian Balfour
Founder & CEO at Reforge
Founder and CEO of Reforge, the leading professional education platform for product and growth; previously led growth at HubSpot; has witnessed the rise and fall of every major distribution channel and is predicting ChatGPT as the next major distribution platform.
Dimension Profile
Key Themes
Episode Summary
Brian Balfour, founder of Reforge and former growth lead at HubSpot, makes a bold prediction that ChatGPT will become the next major distribution platform, comparable to the rise of Facebook's ad platform, Google Ads, and the App Store. He argues that product quality is necessary but insufficient — distribution is what separates winners from losers — and that platform cycles are shortening, creating a prisoner's dilemma where opting out is not an option.
Leadership Principles
- → Building a great product is necessary but not sufficient — the separation between winners and losers is distribution
- → New distribution platforms create prisoner's dilemmas — if you don't adopt, your competitors will and customer expectations change; there is no opting out
- → Platform distribution cycles are getting shorter — you have a smaller window to capitalize on each new one
Notable Quotes
"Building a great product is one of those things that's necessary, but not sufficient. And actually the separation is between those that build really great distribution."
— On why distribution matters more than most founders think
"All of the ingredients for new distribution platform are essentially happening. My prediction, the new distribution platform will be ChatGPT."
— On his prediction about the next major growth channel
"It ends up being a prisoner's dilemma. Don't trick yourself into thinking that you can't play the game. The cycles seem to be getting shorter and shorter. If you don't do it, your competitors are going to go to the new platform. There is no opting out of the game."
— On why companies must adopt new distribution platforms
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