Shows
Build vs. BuyMichael Grinich, Founder, WorkOSMichael Grinich, founder of WorkOS, joins Mang-Git to discuss challenges and insights from his career, including his journey from founding Nylas to creating WorkOS. They delve into the critical considerations for build versus buy decisions, the impact of AI on software development, and the importance of leveraging stable infrastructure. The episode highlights how modern AI tools are accelerating enterprise readiness and shaping the future of software development. 00:00 Introduction 01:51 Michael's Early Career02:59 Challenges with Enterprise Adoption 04:23 Founding WorkOS 04:59 The Shift in Enterprise Software 08:03 The Rise of AI and Enter...
2026-02-0545 min
Dev Propulsion LabsMichael Grinich of WorkOS on building invisible infrastructure that powers every AI companyIn this episode of Dev Propulsion Labs, WorkOS founder Michael Grinich reveals why product always beats sales methodology in enterprise, how being the "plumbing" behind AI companies became his life's work, and why forcing yourself to talk to users is the only algorithm that burns out bad ideas. He shares why WorkOS built in stealth while talking to everyone, the moment he fired his entire marketing team, and how infrastructure companies survive by being better than all their customers combined.Episode notes: https://evilmartians.com/events/podcast-michael-grinich-workosFollow us on X: https://x.com/dpl...
2025-11-1955 min
TBPNSatya Nadella LIVE on TBPN | Alexander Embiricos, Kyle Daigle, Jay Parikh, Jared Palmer, Michael Grinich(17:52) - Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, discusses the evolution of Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI, highlighting their shared commitment to advancing AI research and democratizing AI technologies. He reflects on the initial collaboration, noting that Azure was OpenAI's first cloud provider, and emphasizes the importance of building a system that integrates innovations across the ecosystem into an organizing layer. Nadella also addresses the balance between competition and collaboration, stating that while both companies build applications and there will be competition, partnerships are essential to progress.
(53:35) - Alexander Embiricos, a product lead at OpenAI's Codex team, discusses the integration of...
2025-10-292h 16
The Secure DeveloperThe Future is Now with Michael Grinich (WorkOS)Episode SummaryWill AI replace developers? In this episode, Snyk CTO Danny Allan chats with Michael Grinich, the founder and CEO of WorkOS, about the evolving landscape of software development in the age of AI. Michael shares a fascinating analogy, comparing the shift in software engineering to the historical evolution of music, from every family having a piano to the modern era of digital creation with tools like GarageBand. They explore the concept of "vibe coding," the future of development frameworks, and how lessons from the browser wars—specifically the advent of sandboxing—can inform how we buil...
2025-08-1233 min
The Engineering Leadership PodcastThe End-to-End Engineer: How WorkOS Collapsed the Talent Stack for High-Velocity Execution, Ownership & Better Product Decisions w/ Michael GrinichWhat if your engineering team didn’t just write code, but owned product discovery, wrote the launch messaging, and handled early sales? In this episode, Michael Grinich, CEO and founder of WorkOS, deconstructs their playbook for collapsing the product/engineering stack: no design leads, only one PM, and engineers who own product end-to-end. Michael breaks down how they teach product thinking, build with deep customer insight, and why his most important job is often to "cut scope." You’ll learn how to remove the "lossy translation layers" between teams, build a culture of curiosity and customer obsession, and ship high...
2025-08-0544 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmAvoiding the PLG Trap: Strategies for Scaling to EnterpriseWorkOS CEO, Michael Grinich, and former Asana CRO Oliver Jay discuss insights on the benefits of targeting outbound to existing customers, international expansion, and the challenges and strategies of scaling from product-led growth (PLG) to enterprise sales while avoiding the PLG trap.
2025-02-0425 min
Scaling DevToolsTaylor Otwell - founder of LaravelTaylor Otwell is the creator of the Laravel framework. Taylor has created numerous paid products that have generated millions, such as:Laravel Forge (server provisioning/management)Laravel Vapor (serverless Laravel hosting with AWS)Laravel Envoyer (zero downtime PHP deployments)Laravel Nova (Laravel admin panel)In this interview, Taylor shares why he is now building Laravel Cloud - an infrastructure platform for Laravel apps and why Laravel Cloud needed VC funding.We also cover:The different challenges of bootstrapped and VC funded startupsHow the Laravel ecosystem became so entrepreneurial Building products for the average joe d...
2025-01-3038 min
Engineering FoundersPricing is the API Between Your Business Model and Customers & Great Product Experiences are Made in the Margins w/ Michael Grinich @ WorkOSABOUT MICHAEL GRINICHMichael is the founder and CEO of WorkOS, a developer platform that enables companies to become Enterprise Ready through features like Single Sign-On (SAML). Their customers include many of the fastest-growing startups including Webflow, Drata, Loom, and +200 others. Before WorkOS, Michael co-founded Nylas and studied CS at MIT.This episode is brought to you by Clipboard HealthClipboard Health is looking for the next generation of exceptional software engineering leaders, not just managers. They’re a profitable unicorn, backed by top-tier investors, and they take the craft of engineering management se...
2025-01-3042 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmHow to Make B2B Marketing for Developers Actually HelpfulWorkOS CEO, Michael Grinich, and Augment Code Acting CMO, Francois Dufour, discuss the enterprise shift during Francois’ time at Twilio, B2B marketing that is actually helpful for developers, and early signals that indicate the right time to build for the enterprise.
2024-10-2426 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmMaintaining a Developer-centric Focus with Product-led SalesWorkOS CEO, Michael Grinich, and Sanity CEO, Magnus Hillestad, discuss the evolution of Sanity, starting with its origins as a PLG company focused on developer advocacy and open source, and transitioning to a product-led sales strategy that better serves enterprise customers.
2024-09-2733 minScaling DevToolsMichael Grinich - founder & CEO of WorkOSIn this conversation, with Michael Grinich - founder and CEO of WorkOS. WorkOS helps you start selling to enterprise customers with just a few lines of code. We discuss the challenges and strategies of navigating tough conversations in a startup environment, the importance of understanding engineering leadership, and the role of empathy in user experience. The conversation covers the significance of conferences for startups, the necessity of articulating the 'why' behind a business, and the challenges faced by solo founders. The discussion also touches on decision-making processes, handling competition, and the future di...
2024-09-1655 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmThe Importance of Complementing PLG with SLGWorkOS CEO, Michael Grinich, and Timescale CEO, Ajay Kulkarni, dive into Timescale’s own journey to becoming Enterprise Ready. They discuss the limitations of relying solely on PLG and why you must layer in sales, the importance of saying no to certain customer requests, and the risks of relying too heavily on past relevant experiences when hiring.
2024-08-2724 min
Building JamHow WorkOS builds product with founder Michael Grinich | Ep. 18Season 2 of Building Jam is all about learning from builders we admire. When we used WorkOS to build Single Sign-On for the Jam Enterprise plan, we loved our developer experience so much that we wanted to learn more. This week, CEO Michael Grinich joins us to give an inside look into what it has taken to build their product.In this episode, we discuss:(01:06) How does WorkOS determine what meets their quality bar?(03:45) The importance of "the second 80%" of any project(06:55) Internal Operating Principle: “Earn the wow”(10:53) How to put a great product expe...
2024-08-2324 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmThe Power of Developer Evangelism, Authentic Content, and Simple MessagingWorkOS CEO, Michael Grinich, and Datadog CMO, Sarah Varni, discuss learnings from Twilio’s growth from $400 million to $2.8 billion in revenue, the importance of developer evangelism as a function, and the nuances of marketing a broad platform like Datadog.
2024-08-1322 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmThe 7 Go-to-market Principles for Developer ProductsIn this episode, WorkOS CEO, Michael Grinich, and Partner at Calyx Consulting and former director of platform marketing at Slack, Ceci Stallsmith, discuss the tactics of building successful ecosystems, the importance of founder-led brand experience, and the seven principles of developer GTM. Watch the full episode here:https://youtu.be/ArxOC9JG6W4
2024-07-3024 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmThe Art of Balancing Strategy and Emotion in Platform MarketingIn this episode, WorkOS CEO, Michael Grinich, and former CEO at Vimeo, Adam Gross, discuss the evolution of platform marketing and what it means to balance between strategic and emotive elements in building successful products. They also dive into the distinct challenges and strategies involved in marketing developer-focused platforms. Check out the talk that Adam mentions in the episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za7PbKZcnos
2024-07-1621 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmUnpacking DevRel: Responsibilities, Metrics, and the Importance of CommunityIn this episode, WorkOS CEO, Michael Grinich, and Director of Developer Relations at Pinecone, Bear Douglas, explore the definition and importance of DevRel including its interplay with product and marketing. They also dive into the metrics for success, the role of community, and advice for startups considering their first DevRel hire. Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/c83NYZ2eUj4
2024-07-0220 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmMaintaining Developer Trust While Scaling UpmarketIn this episode, WorkOS CEO, Michael Grinich, and Co-founder of Phenomenal Ventures and former Head of Marketing at Plaid, Helen Min, discuss the importance of maintaining developer trust, hiring smart generalists as first marketing hires, and maintaining a robust relationship between marketing and sales. For additional insights, be sure to check out Helen’s blog here: https://helenmin.com/blog
2024-06-1824 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmDriving Growth through DevRelIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and co-founder of HyperGrowth Partners Martin Gontovnikas discuss tactics around building community engagement and how to stand out from the crowd. Watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SqYzDD7JZ4
2024-06-0427 min
Modern CTORemixing Innovation through Effective Leadership with Michael Grinich, Founder of WorkOSToday we’re talking to Michael Grinich, Founder of WorkOS. We discuss how everything is a remix of something else, what it takes to truly innovate in the world of technology, and how companies can actually cross the enterprise chasm.All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about WorkOS, check out their website here.Have feedback about the show? Let us know here.Produced by ProSeries Media.For booking inquiries, email booking@proseriesmedia.com
2024-06-0346 minScaling DevToolsGetting Your first Enterprise Customers - Michael Grinich from WorkOSMichael is the founder of WorkOS. WorkOS helps startups cross the enterprise chasm - it's a bit like the Stripe of Enterprise features. In this episode, we focus on selling to enterprises: the features you need, the team you need (e.g. sales!) and the common pitfalls Michael has seen. We also talk about things like: what even is an enterprise customer?This episode is sponsored by WorkOS. Thanks so much for supporting us as our first ever sponsor Michael and WorkOS. If you're thinking about selling to enterprise customers, WorkOS can...
2024-03-1439 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmSuccessfully Scaling Developer Products with Customer-Led SalesIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and former Head of Revenue at Plaid Paul Williamson discuss the power of an intense focus on the success of the Developer, the importance of a seamless end-user experience, and what candidate profile to look for when building out your go-to-market team.
2023-07-2525 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmThe Power of Clear Pricing and Repeatable ProcessesIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and COO of WorkOS Zee Yoonas discuss early growth, how to signal product value through pricing models, and the vital role that clarity of buyer persona plays in success.
2023-07-1121 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmAchieving the First $100M in Revenue Without a Sales TeamIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Atlassian Chief Revenue Officer Cameron Deatsch discuss Atlassian’s unconventional approach to sales, focusing on self-serve sales to successfully scale, and Atlassian’s transition into the enterprise market.
2023-06-2726 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmThe Crucial Role of Customer Feedback when Building Developer ProductsIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and LaunchDarkly Co-Founder and Executive Chair Edith Harbaugh discuss the importance of personal interaction when selling new technology, early founder-led sales, and the long road to success.
2023-06-1320 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmHarnessing Down Market Constraints for Up Market SuccessIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Cloudflare Co-Founder, President and COO Michelle Zatlyn discuss how the early constraint in building easy-to-integrate and financially viable product for small businesses became an asset when selling to enterprise, and how important the sharing of future roadmap with customers is to staying relevant and warding off the competition.
2023-05-3024 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmBuilding Successful Developer Products in a Crowded LandscapeIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Cockroach Labs Co-Founder and CEO Spencer Kimball discuss the importance of execution over ideas, the need for exploratory sales in early GTM teams, and leveraging technical content to target developers.
2023-05-1623 min
Founders Talk: Startups, CEOs, LeadershipSelling to EnterpriseThis week Adam is joined by Michael Grinich, Founder & CEO at WorkOS. Michael shares his journey to build WorkOS, what it takes to cross the Enterprise Chasm, and how he’s building his sales organization for growth.
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2023-05-052h 02Changelog Master FeedSelling to Enterprise (Founders Talk #96)This week Adam is joined by Michael Grinich, Founder & CEO at WorkOS. Michael shares his journey to build WorkOS, what it takes to cross the Enterprise Chasm, and how he’s building his sales organization for growth.
Leave us a comment
Changelog++ members get a bonus 7 minutes at the end of this episode and zero ads. Join today!
Sponsors:
Sentry – Get to the root cause of an error or latency issue faster by seeing all the technical details related to that issue in one visual replay on your web application. Use the c...
2023-05-052h 02
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmAdapting Open Source Developer Products for Commercial EnterpriseIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and HashiCorp Co-Founder and CTO Armon Dadgar discuss open core strategy, the challenges surrounding cloud-based product adoption for traditional enterprise, and the evolution of enterprise commercial structure.
2023-05-0223 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmBalancing Self-serve and Sales-lead Outbound for Developer ProductsIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and former CRO at Segment Joe Morrissey discuss how to layer in an outbound sales motion on-top of a self-serve motion for developer products, the advantages of leveraging an early sales team in product development, and usage-based vs. pre-bought consumption pricing.
2023-04-1820 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmThe Critical Role the Developer Plays in Winning Enterprise DealsIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Flatfile CEO and David Boskovic discuss how to foster the developer champion, the critical role they play in winning enterprise deals and how building “hero features” changes the enterprise buying cycle.
2023-04-0420 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmShaping Product for EnterpriseIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and former GitHub VP of Worldwide Sales Paul St. John cover how the GitHub sales team lead the open source software to enterprise sales. They also talk about how social coding changes workflows for the better, and how a sales team can be instrumental in driving product market fit.
2023-03-2125 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmScaling Teams for D2D: Developer-to-Developer ToolsIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and former Stripe COO and and author of 'Scaling People' Claire Hughes Johnson cover how the early Stripe team navigated explosive growth, both from a product and people perspective.
2023-03-0821 min
Security Archives - Software Engineering DailyWorkOS with Michael GrinichEnterprise-grade authentication is often an essential ingredient to virtually all applications in today’s world. However, companies often have a hard time understanding the value of that authentication especially during the early stages of product development. And hardening of an application is often left as an afterthought. Add enterprise-level requirements such as single sign-on and two-factor authentication and other requirements that the once afterthought becomes are now major issues. Delaying launch schedules and new feature launches.
WorkOS is dramatically shortening this development time by providing tools to allow in integrating complex enterprise standards with just a few li...
2022-07-0631 min
Cloud Engineering Archives - Software Engineering DailyWorkOS with Michael GrinichEnterprise-grade authentication is often an essential ingredient to virtually all applications in today’s world. However, companies often have a hard time understanding the value of that authentication especially during the early stages of product development. And hardening of an application is often left as an afterthought. Add enterprise-level requirements such as single sign-on and two-factor authentication and other requirements that the once afterthought becomes are now major issues. Delaying launch schedules and new feature launches.
WorkOS is dramatically shortening this development time by providing tools to allow in integrating complex enterprise standards with just a few li...
2022-07-0631 min
Software Engineering DailyWorkOS with Michael GrinichEnterprise-grade authentication is often an essential ingredient to virtually all applications in today's world. However, companies often have a hard time understanding the value of that authentication especially during the early stages of product development. And hardening of an application is often left as an afterthought. Add enterprise-level requirements such as single sign-on and two-factor authentication and other requirements that the once afterthought becomes are now major issues. Delaying launch schedules and new feature launches.WorkOS is dramatically shortening this development time by providing tools to allow in integrating complex enterprise standards with just a few lines...
2022-07-0636 min
Uncharted PodcastUncharted Podcast #131: Michael Grinich Shares The Lessons He Learned Scaling Nylas That Led Him To Founding WorkOS, and The Guide to Making Enterprise Ready Apps While Prioritizing Go to MarketWe have long admired Michael and what his team at WorkOS are doing for the greater SaaS community.
The company WorkOS is dramatically shortening the time it takes to make applications enterprise ready so that developers and IT teams can focus on the application itself. WorkOS provides developer-minded tools like RESTful endpoints, JSON responses, framework-native SDKs, among other tools, to integrate otherwise complicated enterprise standards in just a few lines of code. Their mission is to simplify building applications for enterprise users so that developers can focus on creating core features in a timely manner.
In...
2022-06-2619 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmHow compliance and customer trust will grow your businessIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Drata's CTO Daniel Marashlian talk about security, compliance, and startup growth.
2022-05-0227 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmHow focusing your efforts on the correct buyer persona will scale your businessIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Vinay Hiremath who's the Co-Founder, CTO, and VP of People at Loom, talk about Loom's journey. They discuss how it started out as a tool that empowered individuals and small teams to being a part of large companies' cultures. They go over what went well and what could've been done differently.
2022-04-0628 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmBuilding the Next Generation of Developer ToolsIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and PlanetScale's CEO Sam Lambert discuss how to build an exceptional Developer experience that enables Software Development teams of all sizes. And how to do it in a way that a developer who is at the absolute bleeding edge, hottest startup can use the same technologies as someone who is at a hundred-year-old company that is revolutionizing their technology.
2022-03-0727 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmWhat is good for the Developer IS good for EnterpriseIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Netlify Co-founder, chief strategy, and creative officer Chris Bach cover balancing between building for developers and building for Enterprise customers.
2022-02-0925 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmGrow Your Business Through Community, with Notion CRO Olivia NottebohmIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Notion CRO Olivia Nottebohm cover how businesses can create engines of community-led growth for their products. They also talk about customer advisory boards, cultivating an ecosystem, and customer communication.
2021-12-1725 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmPrepare to Sell to Enterprises After Finding Product-Market Fit, with Superhuman CEO Rahul VohraIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Superhuman CEO Rahul Vohra cover what happens after a company finds product-market fit: getting enterprise ready. They also talk about when to hire a sales team, how to scale up high touch onboarding, and the philosophy driving a product that hundreds of thousands of people are on a waitlist for.
2021-12-0923 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmIdentifying the Right Customers to Serve, with Ramp CEO Eric GlymanIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Ramp CEO Eric Glyman cover how to choose the right customers to serve. They also talk about organizational speed, why sales and support need to stay connected, and how Ramp expanded from corporate cards into a financial automation platform.
2021-12-0222 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmUnderstanding Users and Choosers through Customer Advisory Boards, with Slack VP Ilan FrankMichael Grinich (00:02):Welcome to Crossing the Enterprise Chasm, a podcast about software startups and their journey, moving upmarket to serving enterprise customers. I'm your host, Michael Greenwich. I'm the founder of WorkOS, which is a platform that helps developers quickly ship common enterprise features like Single Sign-On. On this podcast cast, you'll hear directly from founders, product leaders and early stage operators who have navigated building great products for enterprise customers. In every episode, you'll find strategies, tactics, and real world advice for ways to make your app enterprise ready and take your business to the...
2021-11-1727 min
Crossing the Enterprise ChasmDive Deep Into Go-to-Market Strategy With Webflow CTO Bryant ChouIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Webflow CTO Bryant Chou cover an enterprise go-to-market strategy for product-led growth SaaS companies. They also talk about product-market fit, discerning between consumer customers and enterprise customers, and experimenting with the enterprise sales motion.
2021-10-2024 minCrossing the Enterprise ChasmBlend Developer Experience and Enterprise Sales, with Vercel CEO Guillermo RauchIn this episode, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch cover how developer-focused businesses can get enterprise ready. They also talk about enterprise sales, customer success, and security.
2021-10-2026 minCrossing the Enterprise ChasmBreeze Through SOC 2 Compliance with Vanta CEO Christina CacioppoIn this podcast, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich and Vanta CEO Christina Cacioppo cover how businesses can unlock new markets and accelerate deals with SOC 2 compliance. They also talk about bug bounties, security practices, and enterprise sales.
2021-10-2022 min
JavaScript Archives - Software Engineering DailyWorkOS: Making Enterprise-Ready Apps with Michael Grinich
The typical procedure many companies follow to reach production-level code is design the program, code and test it in different environments, and put it in a pipeline to deploy to production. Developers can make it pretty far into building their core features before inevitably breaking to include enterprise features and security standards like Single Sign On, Okta security and authorization for different user groups, Workday integrations, etc…. Including these requirements can put stress on a team with newer developers or limited resources. For some large projects, these standards need months to fully build out and test.
T...
2021-04-0546 minSoftware Engineering DailyWorkOS: Making Enterprise-Ready Apps with Michael GrinichThe typical procedure many companies follow to reach production-level code is design the program, code and test it in different environments, and put it in a pipeline to deploy to production. Developers can make it pretty far into building their core features before inevitably breaking to include enterprise features and security standards like Single Sign On, Okta security and authorization for different user groups, Workday integrations, etc…. Including these requirements can put stress on a team with newer developers or limited resources. For some large projects, these standards need months to fully build out and test. The com...
2021-04-0549 min
Semaphore UncutCrossing the Enterprise Chasm with Michael GrinichIn this episode of Semaphore Uncut, I talk to Michael Grinich, founder and CEO for WorkOS. We chat about how software companies fall foul of the 'Enterprise Chasm', and how WorkOS helps them cross it. We also learn about the engineering approach that the WorkOS team takes to maintain the reliability of their service, which is critical to their users.Key takeaways:How to cross the 'Enterprise Chasm'WorkOS enables focus on core product experienceWorkOS unifies a fragmented spaceBuilding an infrastructure SaaS takes rigourDependency on 'black box' APIs requires constant health monitoringBuild personal connections as...
2021-03-3029 min
The Daily Job HuntMeet WorkOS: Catalyzing a New Era of Workplace ToolsToday on Career Crashers, we're continuing our series profiling up-and-coming tech companies you’ve never heard of, and what it’s like to work there, with a deep dive into WorkOS.
WorkOS provides APIs to make cloud apps enterprise-ready. In simple terms, they are helping apps start selling to enterprise customers with just a few lines of code.
Meet CEO Michael Grinich and software engineer Mark Tran and learn about how WorkOS helps companies cross the enterprise chasm.
If you’re excited about what WorkOS is...
2020-12-1026 min