The most effective way to argue is finding trivial points of agreement first
Lulu Cheng Meservey · How To Build A Cult | Lulu Cheng Meservey · Sep 16, 2025 · at 31:14
Communications strategist Lulu Cheng Meservey analyzes debate tactics and references California Governor Gavin Newsom's method of defusing hostility.
0:00 / 0:31exact quote · 31.9s
720p mp4 · rendered on demand · StarZero watermark
“The better way to argue, and you see really smooth people like Gavin Newsom does this on his podcast, maybe a little bit too slick, but he's clearly very good at it, Is he'll have somebody who totally disagrees with him on a bunch of things, and he'll always make sure to start with agreeing with them on something, even if it's trivial. I agree with you that that thing was totally insane, and now we can have a productive conversation because we've established that it's even possible for you and me to see things the same way as opposed to your knee-jerk assumption that it wouldn't be possible.”
quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →
More from Lulu Cheng Meservey
Most successful startups operate exactly like cults in many ways
“I would say that most successful startups are like cults in many ways”
Deel planted a spy at Rippling who tried to flush their phone
“Like in the tech world, we're seeing a very interesting story play out between Rippling and Deal, which are these two payroll processors, and Deal planting a spy, and the spy, like, running into the bathroom, and then trying to flush a phone.”
A CEO's human remorse has never lost a company a court case
“In practice, I've never seen someone lose a case because the CEO expressed human remorse in And empathy, and that was the thing that made them lose in the courtroom.”
Enterprise founders like Tobi Lütke and Brian Armstrong make the best communicators
“The top leaders, like the Toby Looker, Brian Armstrong types, they already get it, and that is the most effective person to speak is the person who's leading the enterprise.”
The corporate press release has been an obsolete communication tool for decades
“The press release as a means of communication, I think is obsolete by like a decade.”
Founders who personally confront online critics directly cause attackers to fold
“And so one of the things I tell founders to do is just to show up and defend yourself, you know, defend your people, defend your companies. Sam Altman is really good at this. He defends his employees. And it's very hard, even as much as with any public figure,…”