What if your inbox didn’t just organize itself — it acted on your behalf?

Nizar Abi Zaher, founder of Zero, is building the AI-native email client that reads, replies, filters, and organizes without you lifting a finger. In this tactical, fast-paced conversation, we explore his path from Cal.com engineer to YC founder — and how he's going head-to-head with Superhuman.

From open-source strategies to voice-powered inboxes, Nizar breaks down how Zero is redefining email — and what it takes to ship fast, build in public, and stay top of mind.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Zero was built around what people hate

• How YC pushed them to launch before they were ready

• How being open-source accelerates product velocity

• What Superhuman got wrong — and what Zero does better

• How social presence became their biggest moat

• What email looks like in 5 years (hint: voice + AI agents)

📌 Watch now and subscribe for more smart, fast, founder-first interviews.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Zero: The AI-Powered Email Client

00:42 Meet the Founder: Nazar's Journey

01:24 The Problem with Email and Zero's Solution

02:56 Differentiating from Competitors

05:21 Rapid Development and Open Source Benefits

11:08 The Importance of Social Media Presence

14:57 Strategies for Effective Social Media Use

21:26 The Value of Authenticity on Social Media

24:07 The Importance of Onboarding

27:02 Launching and Iterating Quickly

29:31 Voice and Email Innovations

32:42 The Future of Email

40:57 The YC Experience and Final Thoughts

🎧 Listen on the go:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4m2K7ah

Apple: https://apple.co/4cZ8RMm

My other YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GJarrosson

They didn’t sell to insurance brokers — they replaced them.

Dakotah Rice didn’t build AI tools for the industry. He built an AI-first insurance company — and now Harper is scaling faster than they can handle.

In this episode, Dakotah shares how Harper went from kitchen-table experiments to a high-growth, fully autonomous insurance brokerage. He breaks down the real bottlenecks, the AI architecture behind their workflows, and the bold bets that could reshape an entire industry.

What you’ll learn:

Why Harper ditched SaaS and chose vertical integration

How to embed engineers directly in operational workflows

The underrated bottlenecks to AI-first company scaling

Why relationships are overrated in insurtech

How to build trust with real-world customers — without mentioning AI

The real limits (and future) of fully autonomous firms

📌 Watch now and subscribe for more smart, fast, founder-first interviews.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Harper and Dakota Rice

00:38 Dakota's Background and Harper's Mission

02:13 Challenges and Pivots in Building Harper

04:29 Entering Y Combinator and Scaling Up

06:19 The Importance of Workflow Understanding

13:17 Lessons from Past Failures

18:34 Vision for AI in the Future

21:51 Building Complex AI Systems

22:49 Human Element in AI Services

23:53 Customer Perception of AI

27:37 Scaling Challenges and Solutions

35:14 AI's Role in Future Business Models

37:58 Future Predictions and Industry Insights

42:46 Conclusion and Contact Information

🎧 Listen on the go:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4m2K7ah

Apple: https://apple.co/4cZ8RMm

My other YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GJarrosson

What if a single AI voice agent could handle 100,000 calls a day and free up your entire support team?

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Lobster Talks, Gabriel sits down with Kevin Wu, founder of Leaping AI, to unpack how voice-powered AI is automating 50–70% of repetitive support calls, self-optimizing over time, and achieving 90% customer satisfaction. We dive into the origin story, technical stack, ROI metrics, human-in-the-loop safeguards, and bold predictions for 2030.

You’ll learn:

How Leaping AI began: from BCG ideation to the first major enterprise customer

The differentiator: combining voice AI with evaluation and self-optimization modules

Managing edge cases and human fallback to maintain 90% satisfaction

Tech stack overview: orchestration layer, Twilio, multiple TTS/ASR providers, LLMs

Calculating ROI and setting realistic metrics with weekly check-ins

Future bets: AI vs. human empathy, integration challenges, market structure by 2030

Practical advice for CX leaders overwhelmed by AI hype

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Leaping AI with Kevin Wu

00:59 Kevin Wu's Journey and Inspiration

02:10 Winning the First Customer

02:41 Leaping AI's Unique Selling Points

03:59 Self-Improving AI Agents

05:17 Handling Edge Cases and Human Involvement

06:32 Early Days and First AI Call

07:33 Challenges and Continuous Improvement

09:00 Market Position and Competitor Insights

13:47 Customer Metrics and ROI

17:18 Technical Stack and Partnerships

19:09 Sponsor Message and Text-to-Speech Choices

19:32 The Best AI Voice Provider: Does It Exist?

21:10 Challenges in Voice AI for Sales

23:31 Implementing AI in Customer Support

25:37 Customer Reactions to AI

29:32 Future Predictions for AI in Customer Service

37:45 Getting Started with AI in Customer Service

📌 Watch now and subscribe for more smart, fast, founder-first interviews.

🎧 Listen on the go:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4m2K7ah

Apple: https://apple.co/4cZ8RMm

My other YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GJarrosson