Simple framework I use to help teams get back to innovation. Experiences from my team in leadership at Netflix, PayPal & Venmo

1. keeping a startup ethos
three simple things to focus on to keep operating like a startup
YLD Innovate
London
October 3, 2017
@billwscott
VP, Engineering Venmo & PayPal

2. Hi !
This is Venmo.

3. For Venmo, connecting the world started with connecting friends to friends
Former College Roommates saw the social side of
payments that everyone else was missing
Social from the get-go
They decided, you should be able to share
this stuff, because it’s interesting, and
added the #p option: “$10 for drinks at
Ranstead Room #p” would show up in your
friends’ feeds on venmo.com as “kortina
paid iqram for drinks at Ranstead Room”
(we never showed the amounts, because
this was not as interesting as the social
context and the story itself).

4. Braintree
AcquisitionA Round
PayPal deal
closed
PayPal deal
announced
eBay split
announced
$PYPL
Now

6. venmo magic

7. but most teams lose the magic

8. I have a crib sheet for magic

9. I have a crib sheet for magic
It is my analysis tool
to get teams creating
great products again

10. I have a crib sheet for magic
It restores the
startup ethos
in teams
It is my analysis tool
to get teams creating
great products again

11. it’s pretty simple really

12. just three words

13. bring the magic back

14. who.

15. what.

16. how.

17. who. what. how.

18. who. what. how.

19. who. what. how.
we are social
creatures

20. who. what. how.
we are social
creatures
we need something
bigger than ourselves

21. who. what. how.
we are social
creatures
we need something
bigger than ourselves
we work best
together & iteratively

22. netflix

23. continuous customer feedback (GOOB)
customer metrics drive everything
think it. build it. ship it. tweak it
fail fast. learn fast.
lots of experimentation... build/measure/learn
the Netflix culture

24. 4 unique experiences launched for PS3 same day with
16 variants
focus is on learning
humbled by data

25. 4 unique experiences launched for PS3 same day with
16 variants
focus is on learning
how is it possible for a company to keep this culture?
humbled by data

26. who. what. how.
netflix’s winning culture

27. who. what. how.
hire fully formed adults,
first principle thinkers,
customer advocates
netflix’s winning culture

28. who. what. how.
hire fully formed adults,
first principle thinkers,
customer advocates
clearly know who the customer is,
align all decisions and aspirations
to solving customer problems
netflix’s winning culture

29. who. what. how.
hire fully formed adults,
first principle thinkers,
customer advocates
clearly know who the customer is,
align all decisions and aspirations
to solving customer problems
celebrate learning,
inspire rather than
control, avoid
too much process,
share context
netflix’s winning culture

30. paypal

32. In 2011, even a simple
content copy change
could take as much as
4-6 weeks to get live to
site

33. who. what. how.
paypal was in need of change

34. who. what. how.
hired risk averse,
process oriented
people
paypal was in need of change

35. who. what. how.
hired risk averse,
process oriented
people
mission became incremental,
focusing on internal customers,
vanity metrics and extracting
value from customers rather than
providing it
paypal was in need of change

36. who. what. how.
hired risk averse,
process oriented
people
mission became incremental,
focusing on internal customers,
vanity metrics and extracting
value from customers rather than
providing it
avoid all risk, treat
all systems same,
dummy proof everything,
focus on delivery rather
than learning
paypal was in need of change

37. reinvent checkout started the change

38. reinvent checkout started the change
from whiteboard to code from code to usability
learningsstart again

39. who. what. how.
paypal reinvention

40. who. what. how.
changed the story,
hired first principle
thinkers & customer
centric people
paypal reinvention

41. who. what. how.
changed the story,
hired first principle
thinkers & customer
centric people
language changed from biz
value to customer value, moved
from customers come to paypal to
paypal goes to customer
paypal reinvention

42. who. what. how.
changed the story,
hired first principle
thinkers & customer
centric people
language changed from biz
value to customer value, moved
from customers come to paypal to
paypal goes to customer
highly iterative, embrace
change, start with
discovery, smaller teams
aligned to customer
rather than org, be
open source
paypal reinvention

51. who. what. how.

52. who. what. how.
make sure
the who is right

53. who. what. how.
make sure
the who is right
give the team something
bigger than themselves

54. who. what. how.
make sure
the who is right
give the team something
bigger than themselves
work iteratively,
listening constantly
to the customer