Max Levchin, Founder & CEO @ Affirm:The Biggest Surprise Scaling to $18.7BN Market Cap

In this interview, Max Levchin discusses his approach to leadership, hiring, and company culture. He emphasizes the value of opinionated but empathetic team members and the importance of understanding individual incentives. Levchin shares his experiences with calculated risks, postmortem culture, and the challenges of balancing speed with quality. He also touches on the complexities of being a public company CEO, the impact of market valuation, and his views on regulation and competition within the buy now, pay later industry. The conversation concludes with quick-fire questions about AI, personal influences, and the significance of the movie "The Big Lebowski" in his company culture.