Blackbird

What happens when a side project becomes a platform used by 75 million people—and the founder feels like they’re losing control of it? In this live episode, Linktree Co-founder and CEO Alex Zaccaria joins Mason Yates on stage at Sunrise to unpack the messy, inspiring story behind one of Australia’s most iconic tech exports. From Alex's early creative instincts to cultural tensions between Australia and the US, this is a rare and unfiltered conversation on clarity, leadership, and staying close to the product that made it all possible. In this conversation, we cover: 🚀 How Linktree grew from a music industry side project into a global internet infrastructure tool 🔁 Why Alex Zaccaria scrapped traditional org charts and rebuilt the team from a “zero-based budget” approach 🧠 The internal mindset shift from people-pleasing to product-led, founder-first decision making 🔗 Why simplicity is one of the hardest product challenges—and how Linktree maintains it at massive scale 🗺️ What it means to build a business across two cultures—Australia and the US—and how the team navigates tall poppy syndrome 💸 Why Linktree's new “Sponsored Links” marketplace is flipping influencer marketing into measurable performance 🎤 The evolution of leadership clarity and why Alex now operates in “mandate mode” 📈 What it takes to stay true to your product intuition—even when everyone around you tells you otherwise Subscribe and listen now on all streaming platforms! #WildHearts Mason Yates

This week on #WildHearts, we’re doing things differently with a special episode straight from the Main Stage at Sunrise Australia — and you’re invited. In a live episode recording, Mason Yates will be joined by a special guest: Alex Zaccaria, Co-founder and CEO of Linktree — for a raw, live conversation on building brands, chasing creative instincts, and scaling to 70M+ users without losing your soul along the way. 🗓️ When: Wednesday 30 April (Day 1 of Sunrise) at 415pm 🎤 Where: Visions Stage This is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how Linktree went from side project to internet icon. You’ll hear real stories of identity vs invention, art vs tech, self-doubt vs success — shared with the energy of a live audience. If you can’t make it, don’t worry — the episode will drop on all podcast platforms later this week. But if you’re there? Come be part of the room. You won’t want to miss it. A handful of tickets remain: https://lnkd.in/dRGNvjGK

24 HOURS. That’s all you’ve got to snag a ticket to #Sunrise25.⁠ ⁠ 🌅 This Wednesday & Thursday, we open the doors of Carriageworks. The energy? Off the charts ⚡⁠ ⁠ You’ll hear wild ideas. Have conversations that crack something open. Leave buzzing with possibility.⁠ ⁠ But only if you’re there.⁠ 🚨 Last chance tickets for #Sunrise25 are live for the next 24 hours. Then they’re gone. 🎟️ https://lnkd.in/gQKjFx7Y

🔥 1 WEEK TO GO 🔥 🌅 Sunrise Australia 2025 🌅 Last call, Travellers. This time next week, you could be shoulder to shoulder with some of the most brilliant, bold, and bonkers minds shaping the future. But only if you snag a ticket before they vanish. 🎤 90+ speakers. 40+ sessions. 3 stages. 👀 The full program is now LIVE. Your FOMO window is closing. Fast. 🎟️ Final tickets are on sale & explore the full program → https://lnkd.in/g8k4235x A HUGE thanks to our epic Partners for making Sunrise possible 🙏  HSBC, Stripe, Airwallex, Blackbird Foundation, Carta, Deel, Dropbox, Fullstack Advisory, Intercom, LegalVision, Pledge 1%, Recess Furniture, Radium Capital, Remote, Vanta, XVII Degrees, ACS Labs, Athletic Ventures, Capital Brief, Climate Salad, Female Founders Club, Front Cover, Innovation Bay, Next Chapter, Overnight Success, Startmate, Techstars, The Community Collective, What The Health 📍 #Sunrise25 | 30 April – 1 May | Carriageworks, Sydney

Leaves, branches, trunks, and roots 👇 Harry Flett dropped a simple but powerful framework on #WildHearts that every leader should hear 🚀 It’s all about decision-making ownership—and knowing when to step in or step back. Here’s how it works 🍃 Leaves – You own it. No need to update me. Branches – You own it. Just let me know what happened. Trunks – You make a recommendation. I make the final call. Roots – I own it. Start to finish. Harry’s advice? Start mapping your work this way. Even if it’s not perfect, it builds the muscle of collaborative ownership—and helps you spot when you’re meddling in something that should be a leaf. Listen to the full conversation on Wild Hearts now 👉 head to the links below! 📣 Listen on Apple: https://lnkd.in/gn2HNu7U 📣 Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/g7zur8wy

What makes a team thrive? According to Harry Flett, it's not just strategy or shipping speed; it’s how you make people feel. In the latest Operator episode of #WildHearts, Harry, VP of Product, takes us behind the scenes at Tracksuit, where high-output product culture meets silliness, storytelling, and some surprisingly heartfelt moments. In this episode, we cover: 💬 The power of the say-do ratio and how reputation is built through consistent follow-through 🧠 Why burnout often stems from being “too helpful”—and how Harry’s learning to step back 🌳 The leaf-branch-trunk-root framework that’s helping Harry delegate and build ownership ⚖️ Why great product leadership requires balancing 10,000-foot thinking with shipping the next feature ✍️ How writing is Harry’s superpower—and why it’s essential for clarity in teams, strategy, and scaling 🏆 The hiring philosophy that helped Tracksuit hire the best people Listen now via the links below 🎧 📣 Listen on Apple: https://lnkd.in/gn2HNu7U 📣 Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/g7zur8wy

Joining Mason Yates on #WildHearts tomorrow is Harry Flett, VP of Product at Tracksuit — and this one’s a must-listen for anyone in product, people, or operations. This episode is a playbook for modern leadership—how to scale with clarity, delegate with intention, and build a culture people actually want to be part of. It’s full of insights on communication, prioritisation, and the kind of leadership that creates real momentum. First topic they tackle? 🧠 Why burnout often stems from being “too helpful”—and how Harry’s learning to step back. 🎧 Subscribe now on all streaming platforms — #WildHearts #Leadership #Startups #Product #PeopleOps #Tracksuit

Last week, Xavier Collins and Justin Hackney announced their new startup: Wonder Studios — along with a seed round co-led by Blackbird & LocalGlobe, + a world-class crew of angels. To celebrate, Samantha Wong and I sat down with Xav to talk about the journey that brought him here — and the road ahead for Wonder. Two things i loved, in particular re: his take on AI "disrupting Hollywood." tl;dr = lots of change, but much of it good for the industry: #1 — Less than 10% of scripts ever make it to pilot. Most die quietly in dusty folders. Wonder wants to dramatically lower the cost of producing trailers, and give indie writers and outsiders a real shot at getting discovered ✅ #2 — Everyone’s worried about AI replacing actors... but the real opportunity is unlocking entirely new forms of creativity. Dream sequences. Genre blends. Visuals that were too weird, wild, or expensive to make— until now ✅ Before Wonder, Xavier spent the last decade launching and scaling some of the world’s best-known marketplaces like Deliveroo, Turo — so we go deep here too... talk about what makes great "supply" and why it always comes first; how to quantify and understand marketplace demand, and know when you're succeeding. Follow/Listen on 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gmNHgWKB 🎧 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gRVTMZXz 🎧 Substack: https://lnkd.in/gyZFxr54

Just when we thought the #Sunrise25 program was locked... We’ve added another killer session to the lineup🔥 ✨Story Wars: How the Right Narrative Wins Talent, Culture and Markets Join Shannon Scott & Taylor Fox-Smith to reveal how Airwallex built its internal story, the missteps along the way, and why narrative is a startup’s ultimate tool for alignment, culture, and conviction. 👀 Haven't seen the full program lineup yet? Trust us. You don't want to miss this. 🎟️ Final tickets are on sale & explore the full program → https://lnkd.in/gQKjFx7Y 📍 Sunrise 2025 | 30 April – 1 May | Carriageworks, Sydney

“It’s not over for creatives. It’s just easier than ever to make slop.” 🗣️ In our latest episode of #WildHearts, George Howes from MagicBrief unpacked what the rise of AI really means for the creative. As George put it, "we’ve had pro-grade cameras in our pockets for years. That didn’t make everyone a great photographer. It just made it obvious who really has taste—and who doesn’t". The best creative minds won’t be replaced. They’ll be the ones who double down, using these tools to push their craft further. Listen to the full conversation via the links below 🚀 📣 Listen on Apple: https://lnkd.in/gn2HNu7U 📣 Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/g7zur8wy