Tom Conrad
CEO at Zero Longevity Science / Former CTO Pandora, VP Product Snap
Tom Conrad is CEO of Zero Longevity Science, former CTO of Pandora (0 to 80M users), VP of Product at Snap alongside Evan Spiegel, CPO at Quibi, and board member at Sonos. He was also at Apple and Pets.com.
Dimension Profile
Key Themes
Episode Summary
Tom Conrad shares hard-won wisdom from both famous successes (Pandora, Snap) and infamous failures (Quibi, Pets.com), arguing controversially that our industry would be better with fewer founders. He explains why many talented people would be better off joining great teams rather than founding doomed startups, plus lessons on business model math, burnout, and picking where to work.
Leadership Principles
- → Our industry would be better if there were fewer founders — many would be better off joining great teams
- → Smart, creative people who raise $2M seed and build a company that goes nowhere should have joined existing teams
- → Understanding the math formula of the business model is essential before committing
Notable Quotes
"Our industry would be much better off if there were fewer founders. An entire category of smart, creative people would be so much better off finding a team that needs their skillset."
— On why the pressure to become a founder leads many talented people astray
"You don't have to be the person that raises the seed round. You can achieve acclaim, financial reward, cultural impact through collaboration with others."
— On why joining a great team can be better than founding a company
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