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Unforgettable Lessons
The Other Side of Steve Jobs — Alex Gibney’s Documentary Every Founder Should Watch Once
Apple is valued at over $3.5 trillion. The iPhone remains the most profitable product line in tech history. Over a decade after his death, Steve Jobs is still one of the most cited names in founder circles. But are we learning the right lessons from his story?
What This Watch Is
Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine is a feature documentary by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. It’s available on Prime Video and may require a paid subscription to view.
This isn’t a tribute. It’s a raw, reflective film that pulls apart the public myth and examines the human cost behind the success.
Why It Matters Now
In 2025, we’re witnessing a new generation of “visionary” founders in AI, hardware, and biotech. Multi-billion-dollar rounds, sleek product reveals, and intense founder cults are back. Jobs is often held up as the blueprint. But what if parts of that blueprint are flawed?
This documentary doesn’t deny his brilliance. It invites us to look closer at what else came with it—control, exclusion, and a tendency to justify anything in the name of the product. That context is crucial for today’s founders leading fast-scaling teams and building cultural influence.
Key Takeaways or Insights
- Jobs’ “reality distortion field” was powerful, but not always ethical. He pushed people hard, often to the edge.
- His refusal to acknowledge his daughter Lisa for years is one of several moments where personal values clashed with public image.
- The film explores why so many mourned him deeply—pointing to the emotional grip of brand storytelling and founder myth-making.
- It challenges the idea that success justifies everything, and asks a tough but essential question: what are you willing to sacrifice to build something iconic?
Why I’m Recommending It
This film hit harder than expected. It doesn’t cancel Jobs—it humanizes him. And that’s the part we often skip when quoting his keynote speeches or obsessing over design purity.
It made me rethink how founders lead, how teams function under pressure, and how culture often mirrors its most powerful person.
If you’ve ever looked up to Steve Jobs as a product genius, this documentary is your chance to study the whole story.
Inside the AI Economy — Mary Meeker’s 340-Page Report That Shows It’s the New Baseline
Mary Meeker didn’t just chronicle the rise of the internet — she helped the tech world understand its velocity. Her Internet Trends decks from the ‘90s became required reading in boardrooms and pitch rooms alike. Since then, through Kleiner Perkins and now BOND Capital, she’s mapped how technology reshapes behavior, markets, and power. Her reports don’t just reflect momentum — they pre-empt it.
Her latest: Trends — Artificial Intelligence (May 2025) is a 340-page document that unpacks how AI is not just a product wave, but an infrastructure shift. It goes deep: 800 million weekly users on ChatGPT, $212 billion in annual CapEx from Big Tech, and a clear inflection where training costs are ballooning while inference becomes cheap and scalable. It’s a shift in the stack — not just in tools, but in who can build, deploy, and scale.
The most important parts aren’t flashy. They’re foundational. The report examines how open-source models are quietly gaining ground, how the cost dynamics are redefining compute strategy, and why the next dominant AI players might not be U.S.-born. It’s not written for tourists. It’s written for builders.
If you're a founder, you owe yourself the time. This is more than a trends deck — it’s a calibration tool. It shows you what’s happening under the hood of the biggest platform shift since mobile.
Plug Into Bengaluru Startup Ecosystem — Plum’s curated Starter Guide for Founders New to the City
Bengaluru is one of those cities where startup momentum feels real — you just need to know where to look.
This guide by Plum makes that easy. It brings together the most relevant communities, accelerators, investors, and voices that help you get started, find your people, and plug into what’s happening.
📖 Read the full guide
If you're new to Bangalore or want to explore the ecosystem with more intention, this is a great place to begin.
Some standout insights:
If you're new to Bangalore or want to explore the ecosystem with more intention, this is a great place to begin.
Some standout insights:
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30+ active communities and event series — from eChai and SaaSBoomi to Headstart and Blume Day One — with direct links and clear intros.
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Accelerators and startup programs from AWS, 100X.VC, Capria, and Google for Startups — organized by stage and style.
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25+ VC firms and accelerators with local presence — including Accel, Peak XV, Antler, Kae, Elevation, and more.
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50+ X handles of builders, angels, and ecosystem enablers — to stay in the loop with real-time insights and opportunities.
Why I keep sharing this:
It’s not hype. It’s not a scene. It’s just genuinely useful for any founder trying to find momentum in Bangalore.
I end up recommending this to almost every founder who’s moved to the city or is here for a few weeks. It saves time, opens doors, and makes the city feel a little more yours.
How the Biggest Consumer Apps Got Their First 1,000 Users — Lenny Rachitsky’s 2020 Breakdown That Still Holds Up
Before they became well-known, these products were just trying to get 100 people to care.
This timeless piece from 2020 by Lenny Rachitsky explores how leading consumer apps like Reddit, Figma, Duolingo, and Clubhouse found their very first users. It features 40+ real examples of early traction that came from hands-on effort, not hype.
It’s still one of the best reads for founders figuring out how to launch and grow something new. The tactics may vary, but the mindset is the same.
Some standout insights:
• Reddit created fake user accounts to simulate engagement in the early days.
• Figma ran in-person design workshops and gathered live feedback from students.
• Duolingo quietly spread through niche forums and communities before any major campaigns.
• Clubhouse focused on bringing in the right early users instead of chasing big numbers.
• Figma ran in-person design workshops and gathered live feedback from students.
• Duolingo quietly spread through niche forums and communities before any major campaigns.
• Clubhouse focused on bringing in the right early users instead of chasing big numbers.
Why this matters now:
Even with all the new tools and channels, early growth still depends on real conversations, community, and effort.
This read is a good reset for anyone thinking about growth. It brings the focus back to building trust, doing the work, and being close to your earliest users.
If you're planning your own 0 to 1, this one is worth saving.
GEO over SEO? a16z on Why Founders Need to Rethink Discovery in the LLM Era
Google’s not dying — but it’s no longer the only gatekeeper to discovery.
In this sharp and timely piece from a16z, Zach Cohen and Seema Amble introduce GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) — a new way to think about how people find answers through tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude.
📖 Read the full piece
📖 Read the full piece
For founders used to chasing SEO rankings and keyword hacks, this shift is massive. GEO reframes the game: your startup won’t win by being on page 1 of Google — you’ll win by being the cited answer inside an AI output.
Some standout insights:
- The average ChatGPT query is just 5.7 words. This isn’t long-tail SEO — it’s intent compression.
- More than 700 unique domains are now getting referral traffic from ChatGPT — often without users ever clicking to a site.
- LLMs are not listing options; they’re choosing answers. Your content strategy needs to train the AI, not just target the user.
- There’s an emerging GEO tool stack — from prompt-based analytics to citation tracking — and it’s a space ripe for startups to build.
Why this matters now:
The LLM layer is becoming the new frontend of the internet. Whether you’re building a B2B product, a consumer app, or a media brand — your visibility increasingly depends on how these engines perceive and reference your work.
The LLM layer is becoming the new frontend of the internet. Whether you’re building a B2B product, a consumer app, or a media brand — your visibility increasingly depends on how these engines perceive and reference your work.
This read helped me realize: distribution isn’t just about reach anymore. It’s about relevance in the eyes of machines.
Curious to hear: how are you adapting your content, product, or growth strategy for the GEO era?
The eChai Effect - In Their Words
"The eChai platform has been super valuable for me - it has helped me gain a deeper understanding of domains in the startup and tech ecosystem. What stands out most is the celebration of knowledge, professional growth, and entrepreneurship - it’s one of the best for the Indian ecosystem. Along the way, I’ve also been fortunate to make some great friendships and connections too."
Shalin (Shawn) Parikh
Founder, MyCPE One
"If there’s one phrase that sums up my journey, it’s truly ‘The eChai Effect.’ Six years ago, I simply walked into my first eChai event, not knowing what to expect. The honest conversations, energy, and inspiration from founders and entrepreneurs struck a chord within me. That eChai spark became the catalyst for everything to follow. I proudly say: my entrepreneurship journey started—and keeps evolving—because of eChai. Redicine Medsol’s story is integrally linked to this community. I’ve gained so much, not just as a founder but as a forever volunteer and grateful member of the eChai family. With all my heart, thank you Jatin Bhai and everyone at eChai for shaping, guiding, and supporting my dreams. The eChai Effect will always be a part of my story."
Kush Prajapati
Founder, Redicine Medsol
"eChai has been a game-changer for Hungrito, providing us with invaluable connections, insights, and opportunities that have significantly fueled our growth. eChai has introduced us to a global network of entrepreneurs and experts, fueling our growth and opening doors to new opportunities from Ahmedabad to Dubai. The community has become like a second family to us, providing support, guidance, and valuable insights as startup entrepreneurs."
Sahil Shah
Founder- Hungrito & Netsavvies. Digital Marketing Evangelist
eChai Partner Brands
eChai Ventures partners with select brands as their growth partner - working together to explore new ideas, open doors, and build momentum across the startup ecosystem.
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