E23: Scouting the AI Revolution with Robert Scoble and "Ben's Bites" creator Ben Tossell
Nathan Labenz sits down with prominent – and notably prescient – AI media figures Robert Scoble and Ben Tossell. They discuss what the work of being an AI scout looks like, how to bring the mainstream along with emerging AI developments, and their predictions and hopes for AI.
Robert Scoble is a long-time Silicon Valley technology explorer and connector, a futurist who's met so many technology legends in their primes that he's now also something of a historian. https://scobleizer.blog/
Ben Tossell is the creator of Ben's Bites, an AI round up newsletter meant to be read in 5 minutes or less, read by over 90,000 subscribers. https://www.bensbites.co/
This episode caps off our series centered on talking to rising voices in AI media: people who are now only working overtime to understand everything going on in AI, but also creating thought leadership and educational content meant to help others get up to speed as well.
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The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord.
https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics
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TWITTER:
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@Scobleizer (Robert)
@bentossell (Ben
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This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.
More original content from Nathan is published in our Substack: https://cognitiverevolution.substack.com/
#197 – Inside Zapier's First Acquisition with Ben Tossell of Makerpad
In just two years, Ben Tossell (@bentossell) grew Makerpad to over 10,000 users, $400,000 ARR and got bought by Zapier in a deal that became Zapier’s first acquisition. In this episode, I’m going to put Ben’s poker face to the test as I dig into the details of the deal and what it’s like for a founder to go through that process for the first time.
Learn about no-code: https://www.makerpad.co/
Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@bentossell
Non-Technical Founder Built $240K Business Without Code
Ben Tossell generated over $240,000 in revenue in less than a year - as a non-technical founder who never wrote a single line of code. He built Makerpad entirely with no-code SaaS tools like Webflow, Airtable, and Zapier. And for most of that time, it was just a side project while he worked at Earnest Capital.
Why listen: Learn how a non-technical founder used Twitter demos and GIFs as a bootstrapped SaaS acquisition engine, why shutting down a scattered first project led to radical simplicity, and how annual pricing filtered for better customers who churned less.
🔑 Key Lessons
🎯 Radical simplicity helps a non-technical founder grow faster: Ben shut down a scattered first project and relaunched Makerpad with a single focus on no-code tutorials - doing less attracted more customers.
💰 Annual pricing filters for better customers: By skipping cheap monthly plans and charging $169+ upfront, Ben attracted committed learners who churned less and gave higher-quality feedback.
🚀 Twitter as a bootstrapped SaaS acquisition engine: Ben posted build demos and GIFs instead of running paid ads - one Airbnb clone tweet got 30,000 views and drove significant organic signups.
🛠️ No-code stacks power real businesses for non-technical founders: Makerpad runs on Webflow, Airtable, Zapier, and MemberStack, handling thousands of users without any custom code.
🧠 Side project pressure removal fuels creativity: Working part-time at Earnest Capital removed financial pressure, letting Ben experiment freely and grow from $7K to $30K monthly in three months.
Chapters
Introduction
Ben's favorite quote and background
From Product Hunt to discovering no-code tools
The failed first project and losing focus
Relaunching as Makerpad with a simpler approach
Reading Company of One and doing less
Building with Webflow and no-code tools
Growing Makerpad's revenue
Twitter as the primary growth channel
Free vs paid content decisions
Pricing strategy and lifetime memberships
Switching to annual subscriptions
B2B offerings and team training packages
The no-code movement and building MVPs
Favorite no-code tools and tech stack
Webflow vs Bubble comparison
Scaling a no-code platform
Lightning round
Resources
Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/238
Join 5,000+ SaaS founders: https://saasclub.io/email
#134 – Code vs No-Code with Ben Tossell of Makerpad and Sahil Lavingia of Gumroad
The no-code movement is picking up steam, with more people than ever building apps and businesses without knowing how to code themselves. Ben Tossell (@bentossell), the creator of Makerpad, is betting his business that no-code is the future of work. However, Sahil Lavingia (@shl), the founder of Gumroad, isn't so sure that code. In this episode, I hosted a lively discussion between these two thoughtful bootstrappers about code vs no-code. Which approach should a new indie hacker should take? What gaps in the market are opening up due to the changes in tooling landscape? And what does the future hold?
Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/134-ben-tossell-and-sahil-lavingia-on-code-vs-no-code
#106 – Creating a $200k Side Project Without Writing a Line of Code with Ben Tossell of Makerpad
As the community manager for Product Hunt, Ben Tossell (@bentossell) saw over 80,000 new product launches and met hundreds of inspirational makers. So when learned that he could use a new breed of tools to make his own products without learning to code, it felt like unlocking a new superpower. Many dozens of apps and Ben created Makerpad, where he creates tutorials and collect resources to help others like him become no-code makers. In this episode we talk about how Ben grew Makerpad to over $100,000 in revenue in 6 months with almost no expenses, and why he has no plans to go full time on such a successful side project.
Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/106-ben-tossell-of-makerpad