Interviews

Be sure to check out my podcasts for more audio content.

June 2021 - Interview with Microsoft for Startups

As part of Highway to a 100 Unicorns initiative, Watch Chris Saad- Former Head of Product at Uber Developer Platform in the fireside chat with and Emily Rich - Managing Director of Microsoft for Startups (APAC) on #ScaleUpThursdays.

September 4th 2020 - Interview with Startup Grind Podcast

Fireside chat with Chris Saad – Co-founder of the DataPortability Project. Former Head of Product @ Uber Developer Platform. Product & Startup Builder. Serial Entrepreneur. Strategic Advisor. Angel Investor. Podcaster. Aussie living in both San Francisco & Brisbane. Supercharging companies around the world. Chris is also the writer of the book called "Leadership Lens", which he describes as "The playbook for being an intentional and impactful leader".

February 2019 - Interview with The Nat and Sarah Show

I got the chance to speak with Nat and Sarah about my time in Silicon Valley and the information I was able to absorb just by being immersed in that sphere. I think every startup needs to go and spend at least a month there, drink the water, talk to the people and see how it alters your mindset. I also spoke about the current shift towards the on-demand economy and how customers don’t have to be patient anymore. They can get their service now and it’s customized to their needs. Moreover, I discussed disruptions and how startups try to bring that change to some category or vertical. I also spoke about my path and how your narrative can be molded and adapted by changing your perspective or even your reactions. Your own path can be reinvented if only you allow yourself to.

November 2017 - Interview with Rohit Bhargava and The Startup Playbook

I talk to Rohit regarding; The importance of showing up, Building networks by adding value, Building products that scale, Paying it forward and How hiring changes as companies scale.

November 2017 - Interview with String Nguyen and String Story

I discussed with String some of the lessons I’ve learned in the past 10 years and one such lesson is to go faster and to not be comfortable because your competition isn’t just sitting idle. We also talked about how I am now a Strategic Advisor and how I strive to help others not make the same mistakes and I’ve made on my journey.

March 2016 - Interview with Jeremiah Owyang and Jason Hoch of HowStuffWorks

Here we discuss How the Sharing Economy is Changing the World. I talk about how people today want instant gratification and how everything nowadays is on-demand. I also mention how products have now evolved into services. Such is the example of cars and how they are now services provided by Uber. Moreover, we touch on on-demand work, and new kinds of disruptions we can unlock.

May 2015 - Interview with Tina Hui and Follow the Coin

I share my views with Tina on Bitcoin and Blockchain Technology. I refer to Bitcoin as a a pure digital store of value and talk about how Blockchain has the potential for being the Holy Grail of the internet.

June 2014 - Interview with Laurel Papworth

I start off with some analysis about Google and their new services and ventures. I also discuss Facebook and how our content is catered based on our searches or likes. Moreover, I mention how companies are upping their effort to get personalized ads to their users. I think most users would rather trade privacy for utility. We also talk about new economies, old economies and continuing problem of social data privacy.

January 2014 - Interview with Nima Adelkhan and PITME

I talk to Nima about Echo, the company I helped co-found, and how how the web is more social and reliant on real-time updates and information. I discuss how we power real-time social applications with our platform and apps. Moreover, I provide some advice for Arab entrepreneurs who want to begin their own startups.

March 2013 - Interview with Robert Coble and Rackspace

Khris and I discuss Echo and its innovative ecosystem of apps. I mention the new kind of internet users are witnessing. One where everything is in real-time and is social. That users want websites that cater to their own experiences and how Echo adds more personalization for users by adding various social components such as comments, newsfeeds etc.

2012 - Short Documentary Film with DOCUinc

I discuss my time in Silicon Valley and the importance of connections. I mention the need to build a network of great individuals. Moreover, I talk about how traditional paths, such as working for others, are not in-fact less risky than starting your own venture.

March 2012 - Interview with Murray Newlands and ForumCon TV

I discuss how Echo uses Social Media such as Facebook and Twitter to make Forums dynamic pages that are updated in real-time. I describe how Echo allows true connectivity between websites and their forums and how it allows a community platform to develop.

February 2010 - Interview with Melissa Pierce and Life In Perpetual Beta

I speak with Melissa about Social Media and how it’s growth and impact is creating a return to storytelling. I also mention how we shouldn’t dwell on media, it’s temporary and our beliefs shouldn’t be cemented by it. We should be willing to learn.

October 2009 - Interview with Adolfo Foronda and Nerd Stalker

I acknowledge how comments are no longer interesting and discuss how Echo is the next generation commenting system. Its the way to share your content to multiple social networks as well as watch live reactions to any events.

September 2009 - Interview with ABC Radio National Future Tense

I mention how influence or reputation is a more interesting form of currency more so than attention.

April 2009 - Interview with Jolie O'Dell and StartupLUCKY

I discuss with Jolie what makes a startup truly successful; Simplicity, specificity, and a correct understanding of the social web.

March 2009 - Interview with Grant Robertson at SXSW 2009

I talk to Grant about JS-Kit , an advanced comment and user interaction system for blogs and sites, and how it drives traffic to websites and creates communities. I mention how JS-Kit scales for massive organizations or the smallest blog. I mention how JS-kit is user-centric and speak about how you can get started.

September 2008 - Interview with Maarten Lens-FitzGerald at The Next Web 2008

I speak with Maarten about the top three trends I see that will be most talked about in the future. They are Data portability, mobile, and personal relevance. I end with what changes I anticipate coming in 10 years. Hint hint, it’s all about Augmented reality.

May 2008 - Vlog Interview about GenY

This is a great video made by Pascale Diaine from Orange Labs featuring a set of interviews with young entrepreneurs - including me! I mention expectations when it comes to work such as freedom and flexibility and how I strive to build equity within the company I work. I also give advice for entrepreneurs.

April 2008 - Interview with Bemba

Very casual interview with Bemba where I speak about surfing the web and how I share things with my friends online

March 2008 - Interview with Download Squad

I talk about Dataportabilty.com and how we try to make all sites, that are social or want to be social, talk to each other. So if you have photos in Flickr and want to upload them to Facebook, you are able to.

March 2008 - Interview with Loic Le Meur

Beginning at 2:37, I talk to Loic about the Data portability initiative and it’s philosophy that the user controls and owns the data they create. I also discuss how to create best practices for implementing this.