Airtable’s AI Reboot with CEO Howie Liu

Can a no-code giant reinvent itself in the AI-native era?

This week on Grit, Airtable CEO Howie Liu shares what it means to “refound” a company, how speed comes from tearing up old playbooks, and why conversational AI is reshaping his product—and his company.

Guest: Howie Liu, Co-Founder & CEO of Airtable

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
01:04 First startup & YC
04:06 Salesforce acqui-hire
07:31 Life-changing exit at 22
11:07 Scaling too fast, layoffs
14:04 Sparks vs. coasting growth
19:33 Two years to launch
24:04 Could AI Build It Faster?
27:06 Vibe coding & AI startups
36:47 Everyone can build software
41:08 Refounding Airtable with AI
51:04 Sprint vs. marathon
58:15 Cap tables & control
01:03:29 Always be hiring
01:05:00 What grit means

Links:

Connect with Howie

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• LinkedIn

Connect with Airtable

• Website: airtable.com
• X
• LinkedIn

Connect with Joubin

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• LinkedIn
• Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com

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