Striking a Chord (ft. Chris Barton)

Striking a Chord (ft. Chris Barton)Listen-in with the founder of the world’s most innovative listening appOPENING QUOTE:“There's so many unique ways of doing things, and the key thing is to question the assumptions. Don't assume that what holds true for one other speaker, holds true for you.”-Chris BartonGUEST BIO:If you’ve ever heard music playing and wondered, “Hey, what song is this?” You have Chris Barton to thank for the answer. Chris is the founder and former CEO of Shazam, the music identification app that went from “impossible” according to MIT professors, to “ahead of its time,” in a world with no apps or app stores, to becoming the 6th largest acquisition by Apple in the history of the company in 2018.Chris is also a founding member of Google’s Android Partnerships team, holds 12 patents, and founded Guard, a system that uses AI to prevent drowning in swimming pools. Of course, Chris is also an incredible (and incredibly successful) keynote speaker on how to rethink obstacles and take inspired action.Links:WebsiteLinkedInInstagramCORE TOPICS + DETAILS:[5:50] - Being Ahead of Your Time Means Lots of WaitingHow innovation can feel frustratingYou probably first heard of the song-identifying app Shazam some time in the last several years. It seems like sometime around the mid-2010s, Shazam was everywhere, leading up to its being acquired by Apple in one of the company’s biggest acquisitions of all time.But Shazam was actually launched in 2002, spent six years barely escaping bankruptcy, and only survived thanks to Apple’s App Store finally launching in 2008. Shazam was ahead of its time. And while that concept conjures images of billionaire innovators beating the market and blowing minds, the truth is that it often means a lot of waiting for the world to catch up. If you’re ahead of the curve in your arena, it may feel a lot like you’ve missed the train. In reality, the train just has to catch up to you.[20:35] - Start with First PrinciplesMake a habit of ignoring what’s expectedChris often turns to the scientific and philosophical concept of first principles: beginning any train of thought with no assumptions. It’s a matter of breaking down everything into the most basic truths, which then leads you to question the things that are assumed to be truths but may not be.For example, there was an assumption that you have to recognize what’s playing on the radio in order to tell people what song they’re hearing. That was an assumption which Shazam turned on its head.Where can you challenge assumptions in your own life and career? What do people currently “know” that just ain’t so?[22:17] - Innovate EverythingFrom your story to your conversationsChris shares a compelling story about how he landed a great apartment in an “impossible” market. By determining that landlords were always the first people to know when an apartment was becoming available, he bypassed the gatekeepers and found out about new opportunities first. Chris advocates for applying this principle across your life and career. He builds on his “first principles” idea to show that every aspect of what you do is an opportunity to innovate. Every process, every convention, was at one point a crazy new idea. How might a crazy new idea change your life?[27:55] - You’re a Product, and That’s OkayBeing objective can transform your career for the betterAs keynote speakers, we tend not to like thinking of ourselves as products. It feels like an oversimplification, a cold and calculated idea. But Chris argues t