Lessons from Big Tech & Startups: Simon Tam on Building Saturation

Simon Tam, Co-founder & CTO of Saturation.io, joins Jens Jacob to talk startups, storytelling, and the cost of great work. With 20+ years in tech at Microsoft, Yahoo, and Splunk, Simon reveals what it takes to scale teams, survive partnerships in startup, and build conviction around an idea. In this conversation, you’ll learn: Why the last 20% is what separates good from great How to navigate co-founder conflict without killing the company Lessons from Microsoft, Yahoo, and a startup exit to Yahoo Why conviction matters more than money in early-stage startups How AI, storytelling, and craft shape the future of filmmaking tech Connect with Simon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-tam-7a993213/ Produced With Podcast Listen / Subscribe to The Show https://linktr.ee/producedwith Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/producedwith/ Try Saturation free for 14 days: https://saturation.io/join?ref=producedwith&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social⁠ 00:00 - Introducing Simon Tam, CTO of Saturation 05:10 - How Maya Won an Oscar the Year Simon Joined 12:30 - Building Products at Microsoft, Yahoo & Splunk 20:45 - Scaling Teams from 5 to 100 Without Losing Retention 28:00 - Startup Exit to Yahoo: Lessons from the Journey 36:25 - Why Every Great Product Comes From Tiny Decisions 44:10 - Founding Saturation.io to Compete with Movie Magic 53:20 - Building Culture: Risk, Hiring & Startup Challenges 01:00:10 - Simon’s Leadership Style: Empowering Independent Thinkers 01:10:40 - Storytelling Meets Engineering: SaaS for Filmmakers 01:16:00 - The Age of AI: What It Means for Business 01:25:00 - Advice for Startup Builders Whether you're a producer, line producer, or production accountant, Saturation.io can transform your budgeting workflow. Saturation is a collaborative budgeting and production management platform designed to streamline workflows and enhance collaboration within the entertainment industry. 🎬 🎉 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saturation.io/ 🎉 Follow on X: https://twitter.com/saturation_io 🎉 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturation 🎉 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saturation.io #ProducedWith