Amjad Masad on Going Direct, Building Replit, and the Future of Software
7/17/202626 min
Recorded live at the New Media Summit, Erik Torenberg sits down with Replit founder and CEO Amjad Masad to discuss founder-led storytelling, building in public, and the role of media in company building.
Masad reflects on Replit’s decade-long journey, including the years before the company’s recent breakout growth, and explains why communicating a vision can be just as important as executing on it. He argues that for many founders, especially those building ambitious products ahead of the market, telling a compelling story is often necessary to attract talent, capital, and early believers.
The conversation explores social media, authenticity, public communication, company-building, and how founders can develop a voice that resonates beyond their product. Along the way, Masad shares lessons from building Replit, navigating controversy, and why he believes founders should think carefully about when to go direct and what story they're trying to tell.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAmjad Masad· Guest0:00
Being canceled is a choice. You can choose to get canceled and retreat from the public eye, but I think if you're still out there, at some point, honestly, the haters kinda give up.
Erik Torenberg· Host0:09
So some people ask, "Hey, how should I think about X versus other platforms?"
Amjad Masad· Guest0:12
You have to understand the meta because the way to go viral is to dress up your argument, your worldview in the current conversation. Twitter's influence is amazing, but it tends to be elite, kind of inside group influence. I think Instagram, Facebook still, YouTube is where you get to the early majority.
Erik Torenberg· Host0:31
Does every CEO need to become an influencer now?
Amjad Masad· Guest0:33
Look, I think there's so many paths to success. I don't think there's one. Replit would have probably died if I wasn't telling a story that is larger than the company itself. Dario is an example where he's not playing the social media game. The product sort of speaks for itself. So I think it comes down to the- For years, Replit wasn't the overnight success people see today.
Erik Torenberg· Host0:53
Long before the company's recent growth, Amjad Masad spent years communicating a vision that many people thought was too ambitious, too early, or simply unrealistic. That experience shaped his belief that for founders, storytelling isn't separate from company-building. In some cases, it's a prerequisite. Recorded live at the New Media Summit, Amjad and I discuss why founders should build in public, how to develop a public voice, and what it takes to communicate a vision before the rest of the world can see it. We also talk about authenticity, social media, founder-led media, and why