Tubi’s Behind-the-Scenes Fireside Tech Chat Kicks off with Kumo CEO Vanja Josifovski
Kumo.ai founder and CEO Vanja Josifovski sat down with Tubi’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, Mike Bidgoli, to share valuable insights from his extensive career in technology and leadership during the kickoff of Tubi’s Behind-the-Scenes Fireside Tech Chat.
According to Josifovski, he founded Kumo.ai after spending seven years managing large engineering teams, where the day-to-day business operations kept him too busy for technical work. “I spent a lot of time on the business side of things,” said Josifovski, who wanted to be closer to science and technology. “That’s why I started Kumo.ai.”
Kumo.ai is an artificial intelligence platform that specializes in predictive modeling. It uses large language models, graph transformers, and graph-based AI. The company empowers businesses to make smarter predictions as user preferences and behaviors.
As the founder of Kumo.ai, Josifovski said the company reflects his strength as a researcher and his desire to simplify. “Every company is a reflection of its founder.”
During Tubi’s Behind-the-Scenes Fireside Tech Chat, Josifovski delved into his experiences as a chief technical officer at Pinterest and Airbnb and how science and technology influenced his decision to found Kumo.ai.
The following are a few of the key takeaways.
Simplification leads to success — When combined with the right tools, the simplest tasks can positively impact your career. “I was always looking to simplify things,” says Josifovski. During his early days at Pinterest, Josifovski took the initiative to research international growth online and then submitted a global expansion plan to CEO Ben Silbermann.
One week later, Josifovski was leading Pinterest’s International Growth Team. “With everything you do, just focus on it and do it,” advises Josifovski, who also stresses doing it with speed and execution, “My single largest contribution to Pinterest is that I stepped on the gas.”
Small companies must embrace change or risk stagnation — Cultural and operational change positively impacts growth, taking small companies to the next level. Without embracing change, Josifovski says small companies risk capping their growth. Josifovski stresses that adapting is essential for companies to succeed. “Knowing what to change and keep is the hardest part,” said Josifovski. “You have to do it, or you die.”
Being Smart Doesn’t Ensure Success — “I think you need luck,” says Josifovski, and drive to keep trying. “Stay maniacally focused” on achieving your career goals, and be patient. Never jump to new teams or companies only to advance. “There’s many ways to succeed and many ways to screw up.” Still, if an opportunity presents itself, Josifovski says you should go for it — just like he did at Pinterest. “If I hadn’t asked to be head of International Growth, I wouldn’t have become the head of International Growth.”
Effective Managers Know When to Step Back — The higher you climb in management, the more complex the work becomes. Josifovski explains, “You are still close to what you were working on, but then the work becomes exponentially harder.” Josifovski says you’re also less likely to work hands-on with your team.
“This is part of leadership,” as is knowing when to step back so others can work efficiently. “You have to be careful where you dive in. Otherwise, you slow everybody down.”
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