Zillow CEO Rich Barton on branding, building in provocative industries, and more! | E1791

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Crowdbotics. Great ideas can change the world, and Crowdbotics is the fastest way to turn those ideas into code. Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at openphone.com/twist Fitbod. Tired of doing the same workouts at the gym? Fitbod will build you personalized workouts that help you progress with every set. Get 25% off your subscription or try out the app for FREE when you sign up now at fitbod.me/TWIST. * Today’s show: Rich Barton joins Jason to give a masterclass on his thought process behind creating evocative top-tier brands like Zillow, Expedia, and Glassdoor. (22:02) Rich also discusses the lessons he learned from Bill Gates during his time at Microsoft (49:22), how tech management has evolved (57:04), and more! Rich's blog on branding: https://www.hopperanddropper.com/syllables-scrabble-letters-and-picking-brand-names * Time stamps: (0:00) Zillow CEO Rich Barton joins Jason (1:58) The creation of Zillow’s Zestimate (7:03) “Tension and Importance” and empowering people in the workplace (13:24) Crowdbotics - Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist (14:53) Branding and creating iconic company names (16:53) Navigating major layoffs (22:02) Back to building top-tier brands, “What got us here, won’t get us there” (27:54) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist (29:25) Steering the complex dynamics of startup-attorney interactions (33:22) Defying convention to create stellar products and the effects digital currency (37:54) Fitbod - Get 25% off at https://fitbod.me/twist (39:23) Innovating in the real estate industry (49:22) Lessons Rich learned from Bill Gates during his time at Microsoft (57:04) How tech management has evolved (1:01:27) How Covid-19 and remote work changed the landscape (1:07:02) The concept of “iBuying” (1:10:31) Continuous high-interest rates, “zoom towns”, and the “great reshuffling” * Follow Rich: https://twitter.com/Rich_Barton * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast