Bhaskar Sunkara

What does it take to build a category-defining technology company, navigate a major acquisition, and then start all over again in the age of artificial intelligence? In this episode, we sit down with Bhaskar Sunkara, a seasoned technology executive and entrepreneur whose career spans startup innovation, enterprise software, and the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Bhaskar shares lessons from his journey, including his time at AppDynamics and its acquisition by Cisco, offering a behind-the-scenes perspective on scaling a high-growth company, preparing for an exit, and what founders should know before entering an acquisition process. The conversation then shifts to today's startup environment, where AI is fundamentally changing how products are built, customers are served, and companies are launched. Bhaskar discusses why founders must constantly evolve their playbooks, when to trust customer feedback versus intuition, and the importance of making bold decisions in an increasingly competitive market. Whether you're building your first startup, preparing for an acquisition, or leading product development in the AI era, this episode offers practical insights from someone who has experienced multiple stages of the entrepreneurial journey. In This Episode Bhaskar's entrepreneurial journey and career in enterprise software Lessons learned while helping scale AppDynamics Inside the Cisco acquisition and what founders rarely see How leadership teams should manage employees and culture during an acquisition What changes after a successful exit when raising capital for your next venture How the startup ecosystem has evolved over the past decade Building products in the age of AI Balancing speed, customer feedback, and rapid iteration Why founders must be willing to pivot aggressively The future of software pricing and AI-driven business models The one characteristic every successful founder needs today Key Takeaways Building a successful company requires constant adaptation rather than relying on past successes. Acquisitions are as much about people, communication, and culture as they are about financial outcomes. AI is dramatically accelerating product development, shortening feedback loops, and changing customer expectations. Founders who move quickly while remaining customer-focused will be better positioned to compete in rapidly evolving markets. The willingness to challenge assumptions and make decisive pivots remains one of the greatest competitive advantages in entrepreneurship. About Bhaskar Sunkara Bhaskar Sunkara is a technology entrepreneur and executive with extensive experience building enterprise software companies, scaling high-growth organizations, and leading innovation across multiple technology sectors. His experience includes helping build AppDynamics through its growth and acquisition by Cisco, along with launching and advising new technology ventures focused on the future of software and artificial intelligence. Who Should Listen Startup Founders Entrepreneurs Technology Executives Product Managers Venture Capital Investors Angel Investors Software Engineers AI

I’m talking to Bhaskar Sunkara, CEO of bicycle.AI, which provides an AI analyst product designed to monitor revenue-critical KPIs, investigate the business and technical drivers behind KPI changes, and take a “governed next step.” Bhaskar explains why analytics products often fail when they overwhelm users with telemetry instead of focusing on the signals that matter. Drawing from his experience as founding CTO of AppDynamics, he shares how his team moved from low-level technical monitoring to business transactions like logins, checkouts, and bookings. The key lesson? Start with the right metric at the right level of granularity, then use deeper technical analysis to explain why something changed. Bhaskar also breaks down how bicycle.AI serves multiple audiences inside an enterprise. Business leaders want measurable outcomes, KPI owners need answers about what changed and what to do next, and data teams require trust, governance, and traceability. He explains how, in order to support these different users, Bicycle separates product experience into four core surfaces: pull features like dashboards and chat, and push features like alerts and data stories. Alerts further help operational users respond quickly to KPI changes and data stories provide executives with strategic narratives around trends, causes, and business impact. During our chat, Bhaskar also draws a line most AI products blur: be explicit about which findings are deterministic and which are only a theory. He connects this directly to my CED framework , separating the conclusion from the evidence from the underlying data, and argues that how much you automate should be governed by one question: how costly is being wrong? I also probed Bhaskar about their moat. He’s learned that enterprise adoption requires winning over both executives who care about revenue impact and analytics teams that need confidence in the system’s recommendations. Bhaskar also explains why their long-term advantage comes from the DEAL framework: Detect, Explain, Act, and Learn. By continuously incorporating validated decisions, business context, and customer-specific knowledge, the platform becomes more useful over time. We finish up with his advice for fellow analytical AI product founders, including why AI makes user experience more important, not less: it is the connection between agents, decisions, humans, and accountability. Highlights / Skip to: Making the invisible feel urgent enough for customers to buy products (2:41) How to avoid creating the ‘metrics toilet’ when the system can do so much (6:56) Designing for the end-user versus the buyer, especially during the POC phase (12:20) Thinking about the product’s design in a way that ensures Bicycle’s business value is obvious (15:38) How bicycle.AI’s “push” and “pull” features help stakeholders see value (20:54) Getting their first 20 customers (25:19) What Bhaskar got wrong: over-rotating on the business buyer vs. the analytics team (32:23) The homework a build-anything horizontal platform imposes on customers (and Bicycle’s vertical antidote) (34:30) Bicycle.AI’s moat: compounding institutional knowledge (36:08) DEAL: Detect, Explain, Act, and Learn (40:46) How they designed the UX to reduce time-to-value during onboarding/setup (44:51) Bhaskar Sunkara’s advice for other analytical AI founders (and why AI makes UX even more important to address) (47:47) Links <a href='http://bicy

Bhaskar Sunkara grew up in Delhi, India, and moved to the states when he started working. He has lived in San Fransisco for several decades now, and has spent a lot of his professional life building systems (infrastructure, observability and now, analytics). His prior startup, AppDynamics, was eventually acquired by Cisco. In general, he stays curious about how things work, and likes to deconstruct systems to figure out how they work. Outside of tech, he is a big sports fan, enjoying football, baseball, cricket and basketball. In fact, he grew up watching Michael Jordan and the bulls. Bhaskar noticed that business teams were drowning in dashboards, and as such, were not sure how to take the next steps in the business. He and his team realized that what people needed was not a retroactive view, but a proactive one - something more akin to a 24x7 analyst. This is the creation story of Bicycle AI . Sponsors Unblocked TECH Domains Mezmo Braingrid.ai Links https://bicycle.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhaskarsunkara/ Timestamps 0:00 Intro and episode teaser on the limits of manual KPI monitoring 1:49 Guest introduction: Bhaskar Sunkara's background and AppDynamics experience 2:50 The core problem: Why revenue teams are drowning in dashboards 3:53 Origin story: Shifting from reactive dashboards to proactive AI analysts 4:36 Identifying target transactional verticals in retail, travel, and payments 6:02 Building the MVP: The 1-year journey and defining core capabilities 7:06 The three MVP pillars: Data connection, KPI definition, and dimensional search 8:33 Strategic trade-offs: Choosing vertical focus over generic horizontal BI 10:00 Harnessing LLMs and agentic AI for root-cause context 15:00 Establishing single-source-of-truth KPI definitions across departments 20:00 How AI agents integrate into existing enterprise data stacks 25:00 The future of autonomous analytics and proactive decision-making Current Sponsors: Tiger Data Protected Harbor Render Fitnexa Perplexity Entelligence Checkout our Stacklist! https://stacks.codestory.co/ Check out our Patreon! Hosted by Noah Labhart | Technical Founder & Startup Mentor. Our Sponsors: * Check out Granola and use my code granola.ai/CODESTORY for a great deal: https://granola.ai Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hello! Today, we have on Bhaskar Sunkara, President of The Nation and founding editor of Jacobin. We talk about his best sports bets, the Larry Summers email scandal, and what Zohran’s early days and robust popularity might mean for the left. Very lively episode here so please give it a listen! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

The Nation Magazine, known for its long and storied history as a publisher of in-depth political and cultural analysis, has launched a new book imprint with OR Books. The Nation’s president, Bhaskar Sunkara, and OR Books publisher, Colin Robinson, joined editor Caleb Zakarin to discuss the project and the upcoming slate of books set for publication this year. Among the three forthcoming books are an edited volume of The Nation’s very best reporting on Supreme Court , an investigation into Silicon Valley from whistleblower Garrison Lovely, and David Griscom’s debut book on the politics of Texas . Listen to our interview and stay tuned for future discussions with authors on Nation Books’ roster. Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nation Magazine, known for its long and storied history as a publisher of in-depth political and cultural analysis, has launched a new book imprint with OR Books. The Nation’s president, Bhaskar Sunkara, and OR Books publisher, Colin Robinson, joined editor Caleb Zakarin to discuss the project and the upcoming slate of books set for publication this year. Among the three forthcoming books are an edited volume of The Nation’s very best reporting on Supreme Court , an investigation into Silicon Valley from whistleblower Garrison Lovely, and David Griscom’s debut book on the politics of Texas . Listen to our interview and stay tuned for future discussions with authors on Nation Books’ roster. Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/communications Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nation Magazine, known for its long and storied history as a publisher of in-depth political and cultural analysis, has launched a new book imprint with OR Books. The Nation’s president, Bhaskar Sunkara, and OR Books publisher, Colin Robinson, joined editor Caleb Zakarin to discuss the project and the upcoming slate of books set for publication this year. Among the three forthcoming books are an edited volume of The Nation’s very best reporting on Supreme Court , an investigation into Silicon Valley from whistleblower Garrison Lovely, and David Griscom’s debut book on the politics of Texas . Listen to our interview and stay tuned for future discussions with authors on Nation Books’ roster. Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/journalism Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nation Magazine, known for its long and storied history as a publisher of in-depth political and cultural analysis, has launched a new book imprint with OR Books. The Nation’s president, Bhaskar Sunkara, and OR Books publisher, Colin Robinson, joined editor Caleb Zakarin to discuss the project and the upcoming slate of books set for publication this year. Among the three forthcoming books are an edited volume of The Nation’s very best reporting on Supreme Court , an investigation into Silicon Valley from whistleblower Garrison Lovely, and David Griscom’s debut book on the politics of Texas . Listen to our interview and stay tuned for future discussions with authors on Nation Books’ roster. Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bicycle founder and CEO Bhaskar Sunkara joins Dash0’s Mirko Novakovic to explore his origins at AppDynamics, how his new AI-driven tool transforms raw data into actionable business insights and how observability can be leveled up to the business tier and boost company success.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/FACTUALLY and get on your way to being your best self. The term "socialism" has gained prominence in today's political discourse, yet it hasn't fully entered the political mainstream apart from moments like the Occupy Wall Street movement or Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. Unlike the fervent following of MAGA, there's no socialist movement of comparable size and far-right politicians outnumber their left-leaning counterparts a hundred to one. Why is this the case, and does socialism actually have a shot at shaping future policy? To answer these questions, Adam is joined by Bhaskar Sunkara, founder of Jacobin, president of The Nation, and author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality. Donate to Al Otro Lado at http://gum.fm/charity or sign up to volunteer at http://alotrolado.org/volunteer . SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/adamconover SEE ADAM ON TOUR: https://www.adamconover.net/tourdates/ SUBSCRIBE to and RATE Factually! on: » Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/factually-with-adam-conover/id1463460577 » Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0fK8WJw4ffMc2NWydBlDyJ About Headgum: Headgum is an LA & NY-based podcast network creating premium podcasts with the funniest, most engaging voices in comedy to achieve one goal: Making our audience and ourselves laugh. Listen to our shows at https://www.headgum.com . » SUBSCRIBE to Headgum: https://www.youtube.com/c/HeadGum?sub_confirmation=1 » FOLLOW us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/headgum » FOLLOW us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/headgum/ » FOLLOW us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headgum » Advertise on Factually ! via Gumball.fm See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Bhaskar Sunkara, the Co-founder of Bicycle, delves into the crucial concept of data observability. With his extensive expertise in the field, Bhaskar sheds light on the significance of data observability in today's data-driven world.

A few months ago, Give Them An Argument, Left Reckoning and This is Revolution did a joint "Give Them a Revolution" live show in New York ft. special guests Bhaskar Sunkara, Emma Vigeland, and Sam Seder. We're finally making the complete recording public. Jason Myles and Deep State Kuba from TiR, David Griscom and Matt Lech from LR, and Ben Burgis and (off to the side drawing pictures sold after the show) J. Andrew World from GTAA represented and friend-of-all-the-shows Conan Neutron MC-ed. Enjoy! Follow TiR on Twitter: @TIRShowOakland Follow LR on Twitter: @LeftReckoning Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_Show Follow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgis Become a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going: patreon.com/benburgis Read the weekly philosophy Substack: benburgis.substack.com Visit benburgis.com

"Socialism and Marxism: Chat with Bhaskar Sunkara of Jacobin" - Owls at Dawn, Episode 146 Shitty Minute: Moxie (Netflix film) | Main Segment: The relevance of Socialism/Marxism | Sticky Leaves: Veggie boxes Buy The Socialist Manifesto here Music by Blue Ducks - "Four Inches of Water" ___________ For OaD merch, visit our site here . To gain access to bonus episodes, the monthly newsletter, and more, visit our Patreon account. All funds will go toward producing further content, increasing our ability to engage with you, and improving our technical production. @owls_at_dawn | owlsatdawnpodcast@gmail.com | patreon.com/owlsatdawn

Our political half is joined by Jacobin Magazine founder Bhaskar Sunkara to talk socialist history, the Nordic Model, and what happens five minutes after capitalism ends—themes undertaken in Bhaskar's book, The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality ( https://amzn.to/36FlwTO )

cat and david talk to Jacobin editor Bhaskar Sunkara about what the hell is going on in amerikkka

This week, Grace talks to Bhaskar Sunkara, founding editor of Jacobin magazine and author of The Socialist Manifesto: The case for radical politics in an era of extreme inequality . They discuss the events currently taking place in the US, as white supremacists and far right extremists storm the Capitol after the Democrats took control of the Senate in the wake of the victory of Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Georgia on Wednesday 6th January - as well as how the US left can work to build a class coalition that can resist the mounting threat of right-wing violence.

Dan talks to Jacobin editor Bhaskar Sunkara about his book The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality . We must study socialism’s history and plan for its future. Thanks to Verso Books. Check out their huge selection of left-wing titles at versobooks.com Please support this podcast with your money at Patreon.com/TheDig

Let’s talk about socialism. There’s a marked generational divide in the way people think about that word, what it means, and what it conjures. For those who were adults during the Cold War, socialism evokes something very different than those who came of age after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Now, there’s a growing part of the left that’s trying to make a case for socialism, inciting a definitional dispute about what it means and what it’s capable of. Bhaskar Sunkara is at the center of the political moment, having founded Jacobin, a democratic socialist magazine, back in 2010. Now, he’s here with his new book “The Socialist Manifesto” to discuss the debate. RELATED READING: The Socialist Manifesto by Bhaskar Sunkara Jacobin YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Defending Liberalism with Adam Gopnik (June 18) Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's the first episode of The Vast Majority, which will be bringing you conversations on American and international politics from a socialist perspective. So who better to have on than Bhaskar Sunkara, Jacobin's editor, publisher, and founder. Bhaskar is the author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality, which is out today, April 30. Micah talked to Bhaskar about the state of the socialist movement, socialism’s relationship to liberalism and markets, and Bhaskar’s utopian vision of a Buffalo Wild Wings on every corner. You can order The Socialist Manifesto from your bookseller of choice or your local bookstore. And you can read Bhaskar's editorial "The Exercise of Power," where he talks about "class-struggle social democracy," in the latest issue of Jacobin: https://jacobinmag.com/2019/02/the-exercise-of-power

Amber interviews Bhaskar Sunkara on the centrality of trade unions in socialism, and the role of organized labor in the fight against sexism and racism.

Bhaskar Sunkara is the founder and publisher of Jacobin, a journal of “socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture.” He launched the publication in 2011 when he was an undergraduate at George Washington University. Today, its print edition has 40,000 subscribers and a million readers monthly online. Jacobin is at the vanguard of a resurgent American left that judges traditional liberalism as too weak and feckless for the times we live in and sees politics as fundamentally about class struggle. And Sunkara has been an able and interesting articulator of that view, as well as a longtime critic of mine. I wanted to have Sunkara on the podcast to talk through what his form of socialism means in America and elsewhere today, what’s wrong with my politics, and what separates traditional forms of liberalism from democratic socialism. If you want to understand what the new American left is thinking, where it’s going, and what challenges it’s facing, his answers are worth listening to. Enjoy! Books: The Prophet: The Life of Leon Trotsky by Isaac Deutscher The Other America by Michael Harrington The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century by Eric Hobsbawm Further Reading: Bhaskar Sunkara's piece that he and Ezra discuss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices