Undoing a $5 Billion Acquisition and Building a Durable Standalone Plaid (with Plaid CEO Zach Perret)

In this episode of the Acquired podcast, hosts David Rosenthal and guest host interview Zach Perret, the CEO of Plaid, about the company's journey, including a failed acquisition by Visa, subsequent fundraising rounds, and the evolution of Plaid's business model. Zach discusses the emotional impact of the acquisition's collapse on employees, the shift in strategy towards becoming an analytics business, and the challenges of managing a growing company in a cyclical financial environment. He also touches on Plaid's unique data set, its competitive advantages, and the changing landscape of software development with the advent of AI.

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ACQ2 by Acquired

Introduction to Plaid's Journey and the Visa Acquisition Agreement

Clarifying Plaid's Business and the Unraveling of the Visa Deal

Walking Away from Visa and Navigating Employee Communication

Plaid's Origin, Early Challenges, and the API-First Approach

Expanding Product Lines and Navigating the Fintech Boom and Bust

Replatforming Strategy and Unique Data Insights

The Power of Unique Data and Managing Valuation Cycles

Navigating Valuation Reset and Building Trust with Banks and Consumers

Seven Powers Analysis and the Importance of Brand

Adapting to AI and the Changing Nature of Work

Undoing a $5 Billion Acquisition and Building a Durable Standalone Plaid (with Plaid CEO Zach Perret)

ACQ2 by Acquired

00:00Introduction to Plaid's Journey and the Visa Acquisition Agreement

Introduction to Plaid's Journey and the Visa Acquisition Agreement

04:57Clarifying Plaid's Business and the Unraveling of the Visa Deal

Clarifying Plaid's Business and the Unraveling of the Visa Deal

11:35Walking Away from Visa and Navigating Employee Communication

Walking Away from Visa and Navigating Employee Communication

17:05Plaid's Origin, Early Challenges, and the API-First Approach

Plaid's Origin, Early Challenges, and the API-First Approach

25:27Expanding Product Lines and Navigating the Fintech Boom and Bust

Expanding Product Lines and Navigating the Fintech Boom and Bust

30:54Replatforming Strategy and Unique Data Insights

Replatforming Strategy and Unique Data Insights

37:35The Power of Unique Data and Managing Valuation Cycles

The Power of Unique Data and Managing Valuation Cycles

44:46Navigating Valuation Reset and Building Trust with Banks and Consumers

Navigating Valuation Reset and Building Trust with Banks and Consumers

50:54Seven Powers Analysis and the Importance of Brand

Seven Powers Analysis and the Importance of Brand

54:21Adapting to AI and the Changing Nature of Work

Adapting to AI and the Changing Nature of Work