Lenny's Podcast · September 18, 2025

Why experts writing AI evals is creating the fastest-growing companies in history

with Brendan Foody

Brendan Foody reveals the counterintuitive hiring and growth strategies driving AI companies to become the fastest-growing in history. Learn why the smartest founders target elastic demand industries where 10x productivity increases create 100x more opportunity, and how AI evals function as product requirement documents for model development. Discover the three core tenets of hyper-growth companies, why you should hire slowly for your first 10 people then dramatically speed up, and how to identify leading indicators in fast-moving markets. Essential listening for anyone building in AI or seeking to understand the new playbook for venture-scale growth.

Featured insight

Focus on elastic demand industries where making people 10x more productive increases demand rather than reduces it. Software development has unlimited demand - when productivity increases 10x, we'll build 100 times more features and products. — Brendan Foody

Best for: AI startup founders, VCs investing in AI companies, Engineering leaders at high-growth startups

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