This is a transcript of a conversation between Andrew Chen and Alex Rampell, the CEO and co-founder of Rippling. They discuss the company's mission to make it easy for businesses to manage their employees, the challenges of building a compound startup, and the importance of customer support.
Alex Rampell: Rippling is a company that helps businesses manage their employees. We started the company because we saw a huge opportunity to make it easier for businesses to manage their employees. We believe that every employee should have access to the same tools and resources, regardless of where they work or what they do.
Andrew Chen: I'm really interested in the idea of a compound startup. Can you explain what that means?
Alex Rampell: A compound startup is a company that builds a set of interconnected services that work together seamlessly. This is different from a focus startup, which builds one product and goes very deep on it. We believe that compound startups are better able to compete against large, established companies because they can offer a more integrated and comprehensive experience.
Andrew Chen: That makes sense. I think the traditional wisdom on how to build a successful company is to focus on one thing and do it really well. But you're saying that it's possible to be successful by building a lot of different things that work together?
Alex Rampell: That's right. We believe that the future of business software is going to be built on compound startups. These companies will be able to offer a more comprehensive and integrated experience than traditional focus startups, and they will be better able to compete against large, established companies.
Andrew Chen: I'm curious to learn more about the employee graph. What is it, and how does it help businesses manage their employees?
Alex Rampell: The employee graph is a central repository of information about all of your employees. It includes information like their names, their roles, their departments, and their salaries. The employee graph is used to power a variety of different features in Rippling, such as employee onboarding, time tracking, and payroll.
Andrew Chen: It sounds like the employee graph is a really powerful tool. Can you give me some examples of how it's used to improve employee management?
Alex Rampell: Sure. One example is employee onboarding. When a new employee joins a company, their information is automatically added to the employee graph. This makes it easy for managers to get up-to-date information about their new employees, and it helps to ensure that they have the right access to the right resources.
Another example is time tracking. When an employee clocks in or out, their time is automatically recorded in the employee graph. This makes it easy for managers to track employee hours and ensure that they are paid correctly.
Andrew Chen: Those are both great examples. It sounds like the employee graph is a really valuable tool for businesses of all sizes.
Alex Rampell: We believe that the employee graph is the future of employee management. It's a central repository of information about all of your employees, and it can be used to power a variety of different features that help businesses manage their employees more effectively.
Andrew Chen: I'm really excited to see how the employee graph evolves in the future. It has the potential to revolutionize the way that businesses manage their employees.
Alex Rampell: We're excited too. We believe that the employee graph is the future of employee management, and we're committed to making it the best it can be.
