Grit

Can a no-code giant reinvent itself in the AI-native era?

This week on Grit, Airtable CEO Howie Liu shares what it means to “refound” a company, how speed comes from tearing up old playbooks, and why conversational AI is reshaping his product—and his company.

Guest: Howie Liu, Co-Founder & CEO of Airtable

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:04 First startup & YC
04:06 Salesforce acqui-hire
07:31 Life-changing exit at 22
11:07 Scaling too fast, layoffs
14:04 Sparks vs. coasting growth
19:33 Two years to launch
24:04 Could AI Build It Faster?
27:06 Vibe coding & AI startups
36:47 Everyone can build software
41:08 Refounding Airtable with AI
51:04 Sprint vs. marathon
58:15 Cap tables & control
01:03:29 Always be hiring
01:05:00 What grit means

Links:
Connect with Howie
Connect with Airtable
Connect with Joubin

Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

Creators and Guests

Host
Joubin Mirzadegan
Partner, Kleiner Perkins
HL
Guest
Howie Liu
Co-founder and CEO of Airtable

What is Grit?

Grit explores what it takes to create, build, and scale world-class organizations. It features weekly episodes highlighting the leaders who are pushing their companies to make a difference. This series is hosted by Joubin Mirzadegan, go to market operating partner at Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm investing in history-making founders.