Alfred Lin shares strategies for navigating startup challenges, building resilient teams, and creating long-lasting value. Lin explores lessons from companies like Zappos, Airbnb, DoorDash, and Amazon, offering actionable insights on topics like hiring for potential, managing crises, and fostering innovative cultures. Learn how first-principles thinking, customer focus, and disciplined growth can transform challenges into opportunities, even in the face of unprecedented disruptions.
Lin is a partner at Sequoia Capital. He represents Sequoia on boards like Airbnb and DoorDash. From January 2005 to December 2010, he served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Operating Officer of Zappos. He has a Bachelors in Applied Mathematics from Harvard and a Masters in Statistics from Stanford.
Newsletter – The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at https://fs.blog/newsletter/
—
Upgrade — If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of the episode, join our membership: https://fs.blog/membership/ and get your own private feed.
—
Follow me: https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish
—
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tkppodcast
(00:00) Intro
(03:20) Personal Journey: From Taiwan to Entrepreneur
(04:51) School Days: Lessons in Creativity and Discipline
(06:21) Infinite Games: Shaping Life's Philosophy
(08:12) Core Values and Life Principles
(10:09) Work-Life Balance and Family Insights
(12:13) Inputs vs Outputs: Daily Routines and Priorities
(13:56) First Order Issues: Problem Solving in Business
(18:46) Early Career: From LinkExchange to Zappos
(44:01) Facing the 9/11 Crisis
(44:24) Building a Profitable Company
(44:50) Creative Financing Strategies
(45:55) Customer Service Focus
(48:53) Handling High Return Rates
(53:31) Zappos' Unique Culture
(55:47) Holacracy Management System
(56:53) Maintaining Growth and Culture
(58:37) Avoiding Complacency
(01:10:21) Crucible Moments
(01:13:28) First Principles Thinking
(01:14:17) Navigating the Pandemic
(01:27:37) The Essence of Company Values
(01:28:04) Pros and Cons of Remote Work
(01:29:52) Building Company Culture in a Hybrid World
(01:33:11) Investment Strategies in Changing Markets
(01:37:37) The AI Revolution and Its Future
(02:01:56) Balancing Standardization and Customization
(02:04:44) Working Backwards vs. Forwards
(02:10:53) Defining Success: The Importance of Process
#122 Robert Cialdini – The Principles of Persuasion
What are the best strategies to get people to say “Yes” to your requests in life? Acclaimed psychologist Robert Cialdini dives deep into the seven small things that make a huge impact in influencing others,…
#121 Walter Isaacson: Curiosity Fuels Creativity
What do Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin and Jennifer Doudna all have in common? Celebrated journalist and author Walter Isaacson calls upon his years of research to explain how curiosity has always fueled…
#120 Chris Bosh: Hunger and Greatness
Two-time NBA champion and 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Chris Bosh goes in-depth on the skills it takes to become a winner on the basketball court and in life. On this episode Bosh discusses…
#119 Todd Simkin: Making Better Decisions
Todd Simkin calls on experiences from his lengthy career in financial services and educating traders to help Shane understand how to make better decisions. Simkin breaks down all the influences that go into how and…
#118 Doug Conant: Leadership With Integrity
Doug Conant breaks down how putting his employees first made him an internationally renowned business leader atop both the Nabisco Foods Company and the Campbell Soup Company. On this episode Doug discusses why you can’t…
#117 Kat Cole: The Power of Possible
Kat Cole discusses how “the power of possible” guided her from a part-time job as a hostess at a Hooters restaurant to one of the most respected business leaders in America. In this wide-ranging episode…
#116 Jeff Immelt: Leadership In A Crisis
Former General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt looks back on his two decades with the company and the strategies he used to lead during three separate crises. In this episode, Immelt discusses what happened during those…
#115 Danny Meyer: Hospitality and Humanity
Celebrated restaurateur Danny Meyer discusses the intersection between hospitality and humanity, and why we are all in the hospitality business regardless of where we work. Meyer defines hospitality and how to deliver it with every…
#114 Noreena Hertz: The Crisis of Loneliness
Acclaimed economist and author Noreena Hertz breaks down the world’s loneliness crisis, and what it means for the well-being of our minds, bodies, economies and democratic institutions. In this episode we define loneliness and how…
#113 Sarah Tavel: The Value of Intellectual Rigor
Sarah Tavel has spent the past four years as a general partner at venture capital firm Benchmark, after previously serving in the same role with Greylock Partners and as the first-ever product manager at Pinterest.…