EPISODE 31
In this live Founder Mode episode recorded at Workshop in San Francisco, Jason and Kevin sit down with two of the most influential builders in modern tech — Max Mullen, Co-Founder of Instacart, and Andrew Ofstad, Co-Founder of Airtable. They share never-before-heard founding stories, from Instacart’s $20K Trader Joe’s hack to Airtable’s first prototype built entirely in local storage. The conversation spans early lessons in scrappy product development, balancing speed and craft, scaling company culture, leadership evolution, and founder burnout. They also dive into how AI is reshaping startup building, what makes SF’s comeback real, and their most contrarian lessons from a decade of creating category-defining companies.
CHAPTERS
0:00 – Welcome to Founder Mode Live
2:00 – Backing the Cybertruck into Workshop
4:25 – The $20K Trader Joe’s Story
9:45 – Building Instacart’s First Catalog
10:58 – Airtable’s Early Browser-Only MVP
15:32 – Speed vs. Craft: Product Tradeoffs
22:18 – Scaling Culture and Leadership
29:10 – Founders on AI, Product, and Speed
35:44 – Burnout, Balance, and Founder Longevity
42:36 – SF’s Comeback and Final Lessons
LINKS
Connect with Max Mullen
maxmullen.com • LinkedIn • X/Twitter
Connect with Andrew Ofstad
Stay Connected with Founder Mode
Subscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.com
Connect with Kevin
Connect with Jason