“And then I started getting a schedule and like literally like a month later, I was making like a thousand dollars a month is a 17 year old teaching English.”
quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading:
filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard
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More from Ryan Smith
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Sequoia demanded Qualtrics formally name a single CEO to secure its investment
“When we took money in 2011, Sequoia, I remember, was like, We're only doing this if there's a CEO. Which one of you is the CEO?”
Ryan SmithNov 5, 2025▶ 18:33The High School Dropout Who Made Billions & Bought An NBA team
AssertionContradicted
Qualtrics raised the largest tech Series A since 2008 in 2012
“We've taken this money from Excel, this is the largest Series A raised in 2000, in 12, since 2008, in all of tech, it's outside of the Bay Area”
Ryan SmithNov 5, 2025▶ 19:37The High School Dropout Who Made Billions & Bought An NBA team
Insight
Ryan Smith requires sales reps to be able to demo products blind
“This is where I've always told our reps, like, do you know your product? I could do the demo on the phone in a car with a link walking them through. Without me looking at the screen. And explain to them every single thing that's going on.”
Ryan SmithNov 5, 2025▶ 23:43The High School Dropout Who Made Billions & Bought An NBA team
AssertionSupported
Dave Goldberg's SurveyMonkey attempted to acquire Qualtrics before its Series A
“You know, the gentleman who was doing it ran a company, I'll just be honest, it was called Survey Monkey at the time.”
Ryan SmithNov 5, 2025▶ 26:53The High School Dropout Who Made Billions & Bought An NBA team
Opinion
Ryan Smith calls selling Qualtrics one of his most underwhelming days
“And when Qualtrics sold, it was probably one of the most underwhelming days of my life.”
Ryan SmithNov 5, 2025▶ 36:17The High School Dropout Who Made Billions & Bought An NBA team
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Ryan Smith based his Utah Jazz offer on a Forbes mobile valuation
“It was literally a meeting where it was like, well, are you serious? Make us an offer. And we pulled up the Forbes valuation on the phone and I said, well, how's this?”
Ryan SmithNov 5, 2025▶ 41:19The High School Dropout Who Made Billions & Bought An NBA team
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