TWiST #174 Bonus with Rob LoCascio of LivePerson
Employee numbers in the hundreds, back down to the tens, the way back up again–the ride Rob LoCascio, CEO and founder of LivePerson, has been on is a wild one. Listen in as Rob talks to Jason in NYC about his rocky road and ultimate success.

0:00-1:00 Welcome everyone to this special NYC TWiST.
1:00-2:45 Thank you to Carbonite for sponsoring the show. Jason demonstrates how easy it is to back up your files using Carbonite.
2:45-3:00 I’m here with Rob LoCascio of LivePerson.
3:30-3:30 When did you found the company and what’s the mission?
3:30-4:15 Before SaaS existed, was it server-based in the beginning?
4:15-5:00 How did you come up with the idea of pop-up help boxes on websites?
5:00-5:45 15 years later, where is the company now?
5:45-7:15 You went public when?
7:15-7:45 What was that time like for your company?
7:45-8:15 It is crushing to let people go as an entrepreneur, isn’t it?
8:15-9:15 There’s no good way to lay people off, is there?
9:15-11:30 That same year was September 11th, wasn’t it?
11:30-12:45 But New Yorkers are very resilient, and you started to see signs of life a few years later, yes?
12:45-13:15 So you can have successes, but breakout success could happen in year ten?
13:15-13:45 What are some of the mistakes?
13:45-15:45 If you hadn’t raised a round, how did you fund the company for the first five years?
15:45-16:15 Does today’s climate of “money is free, revenue doesn’t matter” feel a little like deja vu?
16:15-17:15 Groupon feels more like a Web 1.0 company, doesn’t it?
17:15-18:00 So you don’t think we’re going to have an IPO frenzy?
18:00-18:45 A lot of people say the top reason to go public is to have the currency to buy other companies. Is that the case for LivePerson?
18:45-19:45 Is that the dream today, going public?
19:45-20:45 And the government regulations are antiquated and based on bad behavior. But it looks like the SEC may be willing to change things, yes?
20:45-21:30 Looking back, what have you learned?
21:30-22:15 Rob to Jason: But you never quit.
22:15-22:45 There’s no substitute for working hard, is there?
22:45-23:15 Perseverance, sacrifice, hard work–that’s been your whole career, hasn’t it?
23:15-24:45 What’s the difference between starting a company today and starting one like we did in the early 90s?
24:45-25:45 Why did you believe that the Internet was going to work?
25:45-27:15 So you thought if they wanted it, it was good?
27:15-27:45 So they asked, how is it possible for a video file to transfer over the Web?
27:45-28:45 Looking back, is there anything you’d change, any big mistakes?
28:45-29:30 How do you incorporate your hiring philosophy now?
29:30-29:45 Robert, you’re an over-night success 16 years in the making. Thank you for joining me today.

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