Kevin Lin

The strategic pivots and challenges behind turning Justin.tv into Twitch.

Eden and Kevin welcome Kevin Lin, co-founder of Twitch, to trace his journey from a gamer in New Orleans to a pivotal figure in live streaming. Kevin shares early experiences with games like Magic the Gathering, which helped him forge connections and navigate growing up as an Asian-American. He recounts the moments and strategic decisions that transformed Justin.tv into Twitch, emphasizing the importance of building strong relationships with game developers and overcoming technical hurdles. Kevin reflects on customer obsession, the power of community, and the evolution of Twitch’s company culture, and provides entrepreneurial insights into fundraising, audience understanding, and maintaining a strong company identity. Post-Twitch, Kevin has ventured into the blockchain space, balancing creative freedom with commercial success.

Kevin Lin is the former co-founder of Twitch, the world’s largest live social video platform for gamers and creators, which was sold to Amazon for over $1 billion in 2014. As Twitch’s long-time COO, he played a key role in bringing live, shared video experiences to millions worldwide. He is now CEO of Metatheory, and an angel investor and advisor supporting his hometowns of New Orleans and Taipei, as well as Asian American founders and creatives.

Discussion points#

• (00:00) Intro to Kevin Lin, his journey as an Asian-American in New Orleans, early gaming experiences, and his path to the gaming industry
• (08:05) The evolution of Twitch, joining Justin.tv, growth, fundraising, and monetization for creators in live streaming
• (15:00) Navigating challenges in the gaming industry, content rights, bandwidth, and revenue models
• (22:00) Prioritizing creators, customer obsession, and healthy debate on the journey from Justin.tv to Twitch
• (31:19) Hiring, process, and referrals in startups, cultural fit, structured scoring, delegating, and the founder’s role
• (47:35) Securing Twitch’s funding and sale, the challenges of fundraising, and success with the right investors
• (57:16) The acquisition by Amazon, maintaining identity, expanding into video-on-demand, and balancing creative freedom with financial viability
• (1:07:00) Metatheory and post-Twitch ventures, blockchain game development, managing remote teams, and social elements for habit creation
• (1:12:00) Lightning round questions