Block ft. Jack Dorsey - A controversial hack week project becomes the #1 financial services app
09/21/23 • 37 min
CEO Jack Dorsey reflects on Block’s origins and defining moments with host Roelof Botha.
Dorsey founded Square in 2009 with a clear vision: economic empowerment for all. Their dongle that turns iPhones into credit card readers was just the start. With Square, small business owners were able to reach more customers and better manage their companies. But when Cash App, which emerged from an internal hackathon, started to gain traction, Square had a decision to make: stick to their core focus, or risk building an unproven product for consumers? Dorsey explains how Block succeeded by weaving new products around a core vision, and how a controversial shift in strategy led them to fully deliver on their founding mission.
Host: Roelof Botha, Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital
Featuring: Jack Dorsey, Alyssa Henry, Brian Grassadonia
CEO Jack Dorsey reflects on Block’s origins and defining moments with host Roelof Botha.
Dorsey founded Square in 2009 with a clear vision: economic empowerment for all. Their dongle that turns iPhones into credit card readers was just the start. With Square, small business owners were able to reach more customers and better manage their companies. But when Cash App, which emerged from an internal hackathon, started to gain traction, Square had a decision to make: stick to their core focus, or risk building an unproven product for consumers? Dorsey explains how Block succeeded by weaving new products around a core vision, and how a controversial shift in strategy led them to fully deliver on their founding mission.
Host: Roelof Botha, Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital
Featuring: Jack Dorsey, Alyssa Henry, Brian Grassadonia
Previous Episode
Airbnb ft. Brian Chesky - Battling a copycat clone and rebuilding user trust to revolutionize travel
As Airbnb took off in the early 2010s, Brian Chesky remembers worrying, “this is just one accident away from being a dead idea.” That accident finally came in 2011 when a host’s apartment was ransacked. It set off a period of soul searching that became a turning point—the company’s efforts to rebuild trust led it to becoming the global behemoth it is today. In this episode, Brian reveals how this crisis shaped his thinking, and how the lessons would apply to the company’s next defining moments, including a pandemic that shut down global travel.
Host: Roelof Botha, Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital
Featuring: Brian Chesky, Ellie Mertz, Alfred Lin
Transcript: https://www.sequoiacap.com/podcast/crucible-moments-airbnb/
Next Episode
Eventbrite ft. Julia Hartz - A thriving events company took 14 years to build and nearly disappeared in 14 days
What happens to an events company when every event is canceled? “Even if you have spent 14 years building something, it could truly be gone in 14 days.” After working tirelessly to revolutionize how live events are organized, this was the reality Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz faced in March of 2020 as pandemic lockdowns went into effect, extinguishing the lifeblood of her business. She brought the same strategic thinking and grit that had led the company through its previous inflection points to rally her team and reinvent Eventbrite in the middle of a global shutdown.
Host: Roelof Botha, Sequoia Capital
Featuring: Julia Hartz, Kevin Hartz
Transcript: https://www.sequoiacap.com/podcast/crucible-moments-eventbrite/
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