Mikael Cho is the co-founder and CEO of Unsplash. The world's leading image asset platform that boasts 100 million image downloads & 20 billion views per month.

Unsplash is used more than Flickr, Getty, and Shutterstock combined.

Let us know what you think on Twitter: @bzaidi and @mikaelcho

Watch the full convo on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vtIGAEKxC0w

In this conversation, you'll learn:

how Mikael built Unsplash from a series of failed experiments
balancing focus with experimentation
how to create a growth flywheel
why good ideas are still undervalued
how to create a "superpower org chart" & find undiscovered talent
how to get a large scale advertising business off the ground

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00 Intro
00:02:32 What is Unsplash?
00:06:17 Scale
00:09:24 Failed Experiments + A Side Project
00:10:15 Starting Crew
00:13:46 When Side, Becomes Main
00:17:20 Selling Crew to Andrew Wilkinson (Dribbble)
00:18:42 Balancing Experimentation + Focus
00:21:03 Competing With Adobe + Shutterstock
00:22:55 Creator Economy's Middle Class
00:25:37 Develop A New Advertising Model
00:28:29 Unsplash = Internet Real Estate Company
00:31:51 Simplifying Product
00:34:52 Aligning Your Team
00:37:09 Product Design Changes That Surprised Mikael
00:39:39 "Wow" Moments
00:41:46 Unsplash Growth Flywheel
00:43:56 API + Partnerships
00:45:01 Future of Unsplash
00:46:18 Mikael's Business Philosophy
00:48:29 Validate With No Code
00:49:41 Ideas vs Execution
00:53:27 Knowing When to Stop A Project
00:56:18 Recruiting Key Employees
01:00:24 Finding Undiscovered Talent
01:02:32 Superpower Org Chart
01:07:04 Life Design Philosophy
01:11:23 Incorporating Physical Health into Company Culture
01:15:43 "Inbox Zero is a Waste of Time"
01:19:11 "Text Edit is One of the Greatest Apps Ever Made"
01:21:25 Writing Like You're Texting A Friend
01:24:52 Proactive Actions
01:31:33 Wrap-Up

Mikael Cho, Unsplash // Taking On Giants, Life Design + Focused Experimentation 01:33:19 Share

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Mikael Cho, Unsplash // Taking On Giants, Life Design + Focused Experimentation