Roblox

Anish Acharya speaks with Peter Yang, creator and product lead at Roblox, about how personal AI agents are replacing the apps we open every day, why coding agents feel like slot machines, and what happens when the cost of building software drops to near zero. They discuss why future companies will stay radically small, how the IDE is becoming a thinking tool rather than a making tool, and why human ambition will always create more jobs than AI eliminates. Follow Peter Yang on X: https://x.com/petergyang Follow Anish Acharya on X: https://x.com/illscience Stay Updated: Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Peter Yang

Product Lead

Roblox

From “virtual doppelgängers” to “real-time dreaming,” online gaming platform Roblox is using AI technology to build the “Holodeck” envisioned in science fiction decades ago. Sarah Guo and Elad Gil sit down with Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki at Roblox headquarters to explore the intersection of AI, physics simulation, and the future of human connection. Dave discusses the evolution of the 4D creation tool in Roblox, a high-fidelity simulation that enables thousands of people to interact in real-time with photo-realistic graphics and acoustic physics. Dave reveals how Roblox is leveraging 13 billion hours of monthly user data to train native AI models that go beyond simple LLMs, enabling NPCs that can navigate and play games with human-like intuition. He also talks about how immersive communication will change video conferencing, how Roblox searches for unlikely talent outside of traditional elite universities, and how he balances rapid weekly iterations with keeping a “long view” on Roblox’s vision.  Sign up for new podcasts every week. Email feedback to show@no-priors.com Follow us on Twitter: @NoPriorsPod | @Saranormous | @EladGil | @DavidBaszucki | @Roblox  Chapters: 00:00 – Cold Open 00:36 – Dave Baszucki Introduction 01:16 – Realizing Robolox’s 20-Year Vision 05:29 – Using 4D Immersive Simulations in Virtual Interactions 08:22 – Physics Engine vs. Photorealism  11:50 – Storing Roblox History as Vector Data 14:00 – Training NPCs - Moving Beyond LLMs 18:05 – The Future of the Game Designer 19:54 – Video Latent World Models 23:53 – Social Simulation - AI Companions and Virtual Relationships 27:26 – Why Asset Costs Haven’t Changed the Gaming Industry 29:52 – AI Coding in Roblox Studio 31:36 – The Roblox Creator Economy 33:57 – Long-Term Conviction vs. Weekly Iteration 37:50 – Dave’s Hiring Philosophy for Roblox 43:44 – Conclusion

Dave Baszucki

CEO

Roblox

Roblox's popularity has exploded among kids since the pandemic. Today Roblox has more than 150 million daily active users, and functions as one of the primary online gathering places for preteens. But precisely because Roblox is so popular with children, it has also attracted the attention of adult predators. This week we’re joined by Roblox chief executive David Baszucki for a conversation about how the company is responding to allegations that it has become unsafe for children, and the new measures the gaming platform says it’s now implementing to protect them. Guests: David Baszucki, chief executive of Roblox Additional Reading:  Roblox Sued for Wrongful Death After Teenager’s Suicide Generation Alpha’s FarmVille Is Growing Like Crazy in Roblox   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

David Baszucki

Chief Executive Officer

Roblox

David Baszucki is the founder and CEO of Roblox. TIME named Roblox one of the “100 Most Influential Companies,” and it has been recognized by Fast Company for innovation on their “Most Innovative Companies” and “Most Innovative Companies in Gaming” lists. This episode is brought to you by: Qlosi prescription eye drop used to treat age-related blurry near vision (presbyopia) in adults: https://Qlosi.com/Tim AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://Wealthfront.com/Tim New clients get 3.30% base APY from program banks + additional 0.65% boost for 3 months on your uninvested cash (max $150k balance). Terms and conditions apply. The Cash Account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”) member FINRA/SIPC, not a bank. The base APY as of 1/30/2026 is representative, can change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss, a non-client, receives compensation from WFB for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of WFB, which creates a conflict of interest. Experiences will vary. Outcomes not guaranteed. Instant withdrawals may be limited by your receiving firm and other factors. Investment advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, not bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value. Timestamps: [00:00:00] Start. [00:01:48] Kicking off with custom kettlebells. [00:03:00] How David and I connected through Dominic D’Agostino and metabolic health research. [00:04:30] Matthew Baszucki’s eight-year journey with bipolar disorder before keto breakthrough. [00:08:14] Rescuing Matthew from the streets with a strategic hospital admission. [00:18:18] Matthew’s disappearance from his mother’s perspective. [00:19:37] Understanding how the ketogenic diet helps people with bipolar disorder. [00:24:21] Meeting the challenges of ketogenic diet compliance. [00:30:06] Measuring ketone levels. [00:32:17] The clandestine Canadian CKM smuggling ring. [00:33:07] The calm optimism, mental clarity, and reduced sleep requirements of ketosis. [00:35:19] Breath hold experiments. [00:37:44] Optimizing my sleep and minimizing my OCD on ketosis. [00:40:18] How exogenous ketones improve verbal acuity of relatives with Alzheimer’s [00:41:49] Lyme disease and ketosis. [00:44:37] Talk therapy vs. mechanical therapy: Fixing the machinery first. [00:45:47] Dangers of talk therapy without physiological foundation: Learned helplessness. [00:46:49] Atmospheric Calm playlist: Ambient music for focus and productivity. [00:49:16] How Roblox fits in with human connection evolution to the tune of 120 million daily users. [00:52:50] Emergent games within the Roblox ecosystem. [00:54:32] Roblox’s safety infrastructure: Built for all ages from day one. [00:55:24] Future of 3D work: Virtual meetings replacing video calls, concerts, and political rallies. [00:56:57] The inevitability of innovation. [00:58:07] From early revenue challenges to a creator community earning over $1 billion a year. [01:02:52] Taking economic inspiration from Adam Smith. [01:03:54] Building the successful Robux system with a 20-person team in three months. [01:10:17] How does Roblox guard against IP theft among its digital creators? [01:14:32] Best company decisions made at Roblox thus far. [01:19:35] Missteps and mistakes. [01:21:07] When intuitive tech predictions pay off. [01:25:49] David’s favorite niche Roblox games. [01:28:41] Roblox kid safety: Filtered communication, parental controls, future AI age estimation, and clustering. [01:32:02] Roblox AI infrastructure: Hundreds of models for safety, translation, 3D creation, and procedurally generated dreaming. [01:33:33] Predictions: Sci-fi becoming reality, holodeck timeline, AI movies in 3-5 years, photorealistic virtual concerts. [01:37:24] Product development and challenges of being a public company CEO. [01:41:35] David’s self-care routine. [01:45:20] Roblox wellness: CGMs for all employees, snack labeling system, employee transformations. [01:47:11] Exploratory reading. [01:49:32] “Feed Your Head”: David’s Jefferson Airplane-inspired billboard. [01:50:24] Whole cream vs. half-and-half for coffee and other parting thoughts. * For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast. For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday. For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts. Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books. Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Baszucki

Chief Executive Officer

Roblox

David Baszucki is the co-founder and CEO of Roblox, the gaming platform that’s become a digital playground for millions of kids around the world. Baszucki sits down with Oz to talk about how Roblox became one of the most beloved tech platforms for the younger generations, and why he believes gaming is still in its “prehistoric era.” They also dive into one of the platform’s biggest challenges—safety—and what Roblox is doing to protect its users. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Baszucki

Chief Executive Officer

Roblox

Sebastian Barrios was the longtime head of product and engineering at Mercado Libre, the largest company in Latin America—valued at over $100 billion and home to more than 100,000 employees. There, he led a team of more than 18,000 engineers across 18 countries and oversaw an astonishing 30,000 code deployments a day. Before Mercado Libre, he founded multiple startups, including a ridesharing company that competed directly with Uber in Latin America. And at just 17, he got a personal phone call from Steve Jobs asking him to take his app off the App Store. Today, Sebastian is the SVP of Engineering at Roblox. What you’ll learn: • Why Mercado Libre operates with 95% fewer PMs than typical tech companies (and how it actually works) • How to maintain product quality with 30,000 daily deployments and distributed ownership • The weekly email system Sebastian uses to maintain alignment with leadership • How to build a culture of radical candor and direct feedback in a traditionally hierarchical region • The counterintuitive approach to product reviews that keeps 18,000 engineers aligned • How to evaluate hype cycles (crypto, AI) pragmatically while staying innovative — Brought to you by: Merge—A single API to add hundreds of integrations into your app Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security LinkedIn Ads—Reach professionals and drive results for your business — Where to find Sebastian Barrios: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zebas/ — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction to Sebastian Barrios and Mercado Libre (05:03) Mercado Libre’s scale and unique ways of operating (14:48) AI’s impact on operations (19:19) Empowering teams and reducing fear of failure (34:20) The importance of radical candor (38:26) Weekly updates (41:03) Avoiding hype cycles (44:24) When Steve Jobs personally called 17-year-old Sebastian (49:00) Building successful app businesses (55:33) Unique personal habits (01:04:00) Raising independent children (01:07:15) Lightning round and final thoughts — Referenced: • Mercado Libre: https://www.mercadolibre.com/ • Claude: https://claude.ai/ • Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/ • Nvidia: https://www.nvidia.com/ • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/ • Adobe: https://www.adobe.com/ • Uber: https://www.uber.com/ • OpenAI: https://openai.com/ • Marcos Galperin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcosgalperin/ • Cursor: https://www.cursor.com/ • Windsurf: https://windsurf.com/ • Which companies produce the best product managers: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/which-companies-produce-the-best • Which companies accelerate PM careers most: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/which-companies-accelerate-your-pm • How Revolut trains world-class product managers: The “local CEO” model, raw intellect over experience, and a cultural obsession with building wow products | Dmitry Zlokazov (Head of Product): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-revolut-trains-world-class-product-managers • Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/ • Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/ • Radical Candor: From theory to practice with author Kim Scott: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/radical-candor-from-theory-to-practice • Managing up: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/managing-up • Steve Jobs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs • Tobi Lütke’s leadership playbook: Playing infinite games, operating from first principles, and maximizing human potential (founder and CEO of Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook • Everything Everywhere All at Once: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6710474/ • Dune on Max: https://www.max.com/movies/dune/e7dc7b3a-a494-4ef1-8107-f4308aa6bbf7 • Bluey on Disney+: https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-fa6973b9-e7cf-49fb-81a2-d4908e4bf694 • Mentava: https://www.mentava.com/ • Matt Bateman’s website: https://mattbateman.xyz/ • Beast Academy: https://beastacademy.com/ • David protein bars: https://davidprotein.com/ • Marc Andreessen on X: https://x.com/pmarca • Tatami mats: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatami — Recommended books: • Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humanity/dp/1250103509 • High Output Management: https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884/ • The Odyssey: https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Homer/dp/0140268863 • The Dream Machine: https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Machine-M-Mitchell-Waldrop/dp/1732265119/ • Dune: https://www.amazon.com/Dune-Chronicles-Book-1/dp/0441013597/ — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Sebastian Barrios

SVP of Engineering

Roblox

David Baszucki is the CEO of Roblox. He joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss how the company envisions generative AI playing into game creation on Roblox. Tune in to hear his vision for a future where users can prompt entire game experiences and modify them in real time using AI. We also cover child safety concerns, Hindenburg Research allegations, and whether parents should give their kids money to spend on Roblox. Hit play for an insightful conversation about the intersection of gaming, AI, and the future of creative digital experiences. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Baszucki

Chief Executive Officer

Roblox

Stef Corazza leads generative AI development at Roblox after previously building Adobe’s 3D and AR platforms. His technical expertise, combined with Roblox’s unique relationship with its users, has led to the infusion of AI into its creation tools. Roblox has assembled the world’s largest multimodal dataset. Stef previews the Roblox Assistant and the company’s new 3D foundation model, while emphasizing the importance of maintaining positive experiences and civility on the platform.  Mentioned in this episode: Driving Empire: A Roblox car racing game Stef particularly enjoys RDC: Roblox Developer Conference Ego.live: Roblox app to create and share synthetic worlds populated with human-like generative agents and simulated communities| PINNs: Physics Informed Neural Networks ControlNet: A model for controlling image diffusion by conditioning on an additional input image that Stef says can be used as a 2.5D approach to 3D generation. Neural rendering: A combination of deep learning with computer graphics principles developed by Nvidia in its RTX platform Hosted by: Konstantine Buhler and Sonya Huang, Sequoia Capital

Stef Corazza

Head of Studio

Roblox

Roblox is a colorful online platform that aims to reimagine the way that people come together — now that vision is being augmented by generative AI. In this episode of NVIDIA’s AI Podcast, host Noah Kravitz speaks with Anupam Singh, vice president of AI and growth engineering at Roblox, on how the company is using the technology to enhance virtual experiences with features such as automated chat filters and real-time text translation, which help build inclusivity and user safety. Singh also discusses how generative AI can be used to power coding assistants that help creators focus more on creative expression, rather than spending time manually scripting world-building features.

Anupam Singh

Vice President of AI and Growth Engineering

Roblox

Today we’re bringing you the last of our live-on-stage interviews from the 2023 Code Conference. Verge deputy editor Alex Heath sat down to chat with Roblox CEO David Baszucki.  Roblox definitely started out as a kid thing, but the company has big plans to change all that, and Alex got to find out a bit about how that’s going. Roblox is determined to be a platform, even more than a product — something users can develop games and experiences on. And of course, David and Alex spoke about AI. David sees a lot of opportunity for generative AI to help content creators on the Roblox platform in the not-so-distant future.  Links:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfYz8weQm4M https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/21/roblox-cuts-30-on-talent-acquisition-team-as-hiring-slows/ https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/8/23864858/roblox-ceo-prediction-adults-dating-experiences-rdc-2023 https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/27/23889307/meta-ray-ban-smart-glasses-wearables-connect https://www.theverge.com/23775268/roblox-ceo-david-baszucki-gaming-metaverse-robux-virtual-reality https://mashable.com/article/karlie-kloss-roblox-klossette https://www.theverge.com/23734209/parsons-roblox-design-class-metaverse-fashion Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23677085 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Amanda Rose Smith. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Baszucki

Chief Executive Officer

Roblox

Roblox has 66 million daily users, and people spent 14 billion collective hours on Roblox in just Q1 of 2023. But its CEO David Baszucki still wants to see the company grow.  One idea? Aging up the kinds of experiences that are allowed on its platform. Roblox recently introduced 17+ experiences. It wants to add new AI world-building capabilities. It’s even partnering with advertisers to roll out more immersive ad experiences. It’s been years since the number of adults gaming outnumbered kids – it seems like that’s driving a lot of growth for everyone, including Roblox. But these virtual world games seem like they all want to expand to be much more than just for kids, and much more than just for games. If you think about it, Roblox is already like a metaverse. Schools are using it for classes, companies are starting to advertise there, and people are just hanging out as avatars.  It’s already big, but the hope is to get much, much bigger. Alex Heath, deputy editor at The Verge, got the chance to chat with David up at Roblox headquarters in San Mateo, California. Their conversation covered a lot: why now’s the time for Roblox to grow up, the classic Decoder questions about structure and decision-making, and sadly, why infinite Robux isn’t a thing. Apologies to all the eight year olds out there. Okay, Roblox CEO David Baszucki. Here we go. Links: Roblox will allow exclusive experiences for people 17 and over Roblox, explained - The Verge Fortnite and Roblox are dueling for the future of user-built games - The Verge Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Raghu Manavalan and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright.  The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Baszucki

Chief Executive Officer

Roblox

In 2003, David Baszucki wanted to go viral. He had already sold a company that made educational software, and now he wanted to build something with mass appeal; with build-your-own avatars and myriad opportunities for users to compete and connect online. So in 2006, he and his co-founder Erik Cassel launched Roblox, a platform where you can play millions of different games, set in a wide array of virtual worlds. You can adopt a pet, escape from jail, build and run your own restaurant, or solve a murder mystery; you can even create games of your own. During the start of the pandemic in 2020, half of the kids in the US were keeping in touch via Roblox, and today, the company is worth over 28 billion dollars. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Baszucki

Chief Executive Officer

Roblox