About this video

• Video Title: How we restructured Airtable's entire org for AI | Howie Liu (co-founder and CEO)
• Channel: Lenny's Podcast
• Speakers: Howie Liu, Lenny (host)
• Duration: 01:40:42

Overview

In this episode, Howie Liu, co-founder and CEO of Airtable, discusses how his company is adapting to the AI era. He shares insights on restructuring teams for speed, the evolving role of CEOs as individual contributors, the importance of hands-on experimentation with AI tools, and how Airtable is integrating AI to democratize software creation, particularly for business applications. The conversation also touches on managing the shift to an AI-native approach and the skills needed for product teams to thrive.

Key takeaways

• AI as a Paradigm Shift: AI represents a fundamental change in product development, requiring companies to essentially "refound" themselves to remain relevant.
• The Rise of the "ICEO": CEOs are increasingly becoming individual contributors again, getting hands-on with coding and building to stay connected to the product's details and capabilities.
• Fast vs. Slow Thinking Teams: Airtable has reorganized into "fast thinking" and "slow thinking" groups to balance rapid AI innovation with deliberate, long-term infrastructure development.
• Embracing Experimentation: Continuous play and experimentation with AI tools are crucial for understanding their potential and driving product evolution.
• Cross-Functional Skills: Product managers, engineers, and designers need to develop hybrid skill sets, becoming more versatile to navigate the AI landscape effectively.
• Evals and Open-Ended Testing: While evals are important for refinement, initial product discovery, especially for novel AI experiences, should prioritize open-ended "vibes" and experimentation.
• The Importance of Product Passion: Founders and leaders who genuinely love building products and engaging with the details are more likely to create enduring, innovative companies.
• Continuous Learning: The rapidly evolving nature of AI necessitates a growth mindset and a commitment to continuous learning and skill development for everyone in the organization.

Airtable restructured its organization by creating two distinct teams: the "fast thinking" group (officially named AI Platform) and the "slow thinking" group.

The fast thinking team is focused on shipping new AI capabilities on a near-weekly basis. The goal is to deliver truly awesome value with each release, aiming for a pace similar to AI-native companies like Cursor.

The slow thinking group operates in a more deliberate mode of planning and executing. This team handles bets that require more premeditation, such as developing complex infrastructure like their data store, HyperDB, which handles multi-hundred million record datasets and cannot be shipped in a week.

These two groups are designed to complement each other: the fast execution of the AI team creates excitement and attracts new users, while the slow thinking team allows these initial adoptions to mature into larger, more robust deployments.

🚀 Airtable CEO Howie Liu on restructuring for AI: Embracing the "fast thinking" team for rapid innovation & "slow thinking" for foundational infrastructure. Key takeaways: CEOs getting hands-on (ICEOs), continuous "play" w/ AI tools, and the need for cross-functional skills. Essential listen for navigating the AI era! #AI #Airtable #Startup #Leadership