a16z Podcast: HubSpot CTO Dharmesh Shah on Where Startups Can Win Beyond OpenAI and Anthropic
a16z · youtube · 2026-11-10
a16z Partner Joe Schmidt interviews HubSpot co-founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah on where startups should build as frontier labs expand into applications.
Key points
- The software opportunity is growing, not shrinking: models are becoming infrastructure and "ChatGPT is the new OS," so application companies can build lasting value in workflows, customer context, and systems of record.
- Startup playbook: start with a narrow market (HubSpot bet on SMBs — the 60% not using a CRM), learn fast, and solve the whole customer problem rather than chasing what labs won't do.
- Also covered: HubSpot's AI experiments (replaying 20 years of code with AI, HubSpot Next, the uSpot incubation), the rise of one-person companies, and how cheaper software creation unlocks markets that previously couldn't support a software company.
Related event: HubSpot CTO on a16z Podcast: The App Layer Isn't Dead(2 posts)→
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