Key insights

• Productivity and Hiking Ambitions

  • ⏳ Productivity hacks for reading saved articles and managing time
  • 🏔️ Adapting workout routines for mountain climbing
  • 🌲 Hiking ambitions and interest in exploring nature in the Bay Area

• Product Development and Personal Habits

  • 🎙️ New high-quality iOS voices like Samantha and Alex
  • 🔍 Simplifying the product by hiding features in hidden places
  • 🗣️ Voice-enabled mode for text-to-speech and challenges with integration
  • 🛠️ Focus on delivering a good product as the best growth hack
  • ⏱️ Personal reading habits and time management for reading and saving content offline

• Comparison and Product Expansion

  • 🔗 Comparing URLs viewed on Instapaper and Pinterest showed different content sets due to platform nature
  • 📴 Offline reader mode for Pinterest considered but not prioritized due to content storage
  • 📈 Product expansion based on user requests and potential business value

• Independence and Sustainability

  • 🔧 Instapaper was maintained by one person doing backend engineering, Android, and iOS engineering
  • 💵 It raised $80,000 from friends and family and focuses on a 25% return to shareholders
  • 📈 The focus of Instapaper is on providing long-term service for customers
  • 📊 Plans for managing subscription revenue through deferred revenue accounting

• Moving to Pinterest and Spin Out

  • 🗽 Moved to Pinterest from New York as part of an acquisition deal
  • 👥 Started with individual contributions and now manages a team at Pinterest
  • 🔄 Decided to put Instapaper in maintenance mode and later spin it out
  • 🏢 Challenges of keeping acquired apps alive in big companies

• Transition and Challenges

  • 💸 Transition of app to a new subscription pricing model
  • 👔 Promotion to CEO and focus on business fundamentals
  • ⚠️ Challenges faced during acquisition interest from Pinterest
  • 🥚 Advice to not count the eggs before they hatch

• Acquisition and Business Decisions

  • 💰 Early investment in Tumblr, Marco Arment proposed BetaWorks as a long-term home for Instapaper
  • 🔍 Experiments with 'Free App of the Week' program on App Store
  • 🔄 Transitioning Instapaper from a paid application to a freemium model
  • 🚀 Introduction of new features and increase in subscription price
  • 📊 Acquisition interest from Pinterest

• Instapaper Creation and Acquisition

  • 💡 Instapaper created by Marco Arment as a side project while at tumblr
  • 📱 Initially addressed issues with slow mobile networks and lack of good reading applications
  • 🆚 Faced competition from free alternatives like pocket
  • 🛒 Acquired by beta works due to market changes and competition

Q&A

• What personal habits and ambitions were shared by the speaker?

  The speaker discussed productivity hacks for reading, adapting training routines for mountain climbing, and expressed an interest in exploring nature and hiking ambitions in the Bay Area.

• What topics were discussed regarding new iOS voices, simplifying the product, and growth hacks?

  The speaker discussed new high-quality iOS voices, simplifying the product, voice-enabled features, and challenges with text-to-speech integration, as well as focusing on delivering a good product as the best growth hack.

• What were the highlights of the discussion about text-to-speech and product expansion?

  The discussion covered text-to-speech challenges, potential offline reader mode for Pinterest, and product expansion based on user requests, emphasizing power user features and potential business value.

• What were the highlights of the comparison between URLs viewed on Instapaper and Pinterest?

  The comparison showed different content sets due to the nature of the platforms, with Pinterest focusing on long-term, evergreen content and Instapaper being more news-based with a focus on offline reading functions.

• How did Instapaper transition from being part of Pinterest to becoming an independent company?

  Instapaper was spun out into an independent company, raising $80,000 from friends and family to sustain itself as a long-term business, focusing on customer satisfaction and a 25% return to shareholders.

• What challenges were faced during the acquisition interest from Pinterest?

  The speaker discusses challenges faced during the acquisition interest from Pinterest and advises to not count the eggs before they hatch.

• Why was Instapaper made a free application, and how was the decision derived?

  The decision to make Instapaper a free application was based on experiments and competitive analysis, including the 'Free App of the Week' program on the App Store.

• How did Instapaper end up being acquired by BetaWorks?

  Marco Arment approached BetaWorks, and they acquired a majority share of Instapaper in exchange for ownership and investment.

• What challenges did Instapaper face in its initial stages?

  Instapaper faced competition from free alternatives like Pocket and initially struggled as a paid application.

• Who created Instapaper and under what circumstances?

  Instapaper was created by Marco Arment as a side project while he was the CTO of Tumblr. It initially addressed issues related to slow mobile networks and a lack of good reading applications.

• 00:00 Instapaper, created by Marco Arment, started as a side project while he worked as the CTO of tumblr. It initially addressed issues related to slow mobile networks and lack of good reading applications but faced competition from free alternatives like pocket. Eventually acquired by beta works due to competition and market changes.
• 08:54 Marco Arment approached BetaWorks to find a long-term home for Instapaper. BetaWorks acquired majority share of Instapaper in exchange for ownership and investment. Pinterest was not the first choice for acquisition, and the decision to make Instapaper a free application was based on experiments and competitive analysis.
• 17:30 The speaker discusses the transition of an app to a new subscription pricing model, being promoted to CEO, and the acquisition interest from Pinterest. He shares the challenges faced during the acquisition process and advises to not count the eggs before they hatch.
• 25:48 The speaker discusses moving to Pinterest from New York, managing teams, and the decision to keep and spin out Instapaper. They also touch on the challenges of acquired apps by big companies.
• 34:31 Instapaper was spun out into an independent company to maintain its existing service for the foreseeable future. It raised $80,000 from friends and family to sustain itself as a long-term business. The focus is on customer satisfaction, operator longevity, and a 25% return to shareholders.
• 43:30 The analysis compared URLs viewed on Instapaper with those on Pinterest. Results showed different sets of content due to the nature of the platforms. Pinterest focuses on long-term, evergreen content, while Instapaper is more news-based and includes both read and searchable archive functions. Offline reader mode for Pinterest was considered but not prioritized due to the scale and nature of content storage. Product expansion is based on user requests, emphasizing power user features and potential business value.
• 51:53 The transcript discusses new iOS voices, simplifying the product, voice-enabled features, text-to-speech challenges, growth hacks, and personal reading habits.
• 01:00:29 A conversation about productivity hacks, reading habits, and hiking ambitions in the Bay Area. The speaker discusses strategies for managing saved articles and adapting training routines for mountain climbing. They also express their interest in exploring nature and potential hiking ambitions.