Tech Startup Comedy - MyTechCEO Jason Yeager | EP 19 (Preview)

All right, let's talk a little bit about you. You mentioned you're also in tech. Obviously, you started MyTechCEO as a secondary fun thing that you're hoping to grow, and you have a great personality. What do you do in tech yourself that kind of also gives you an inside perspective?

Yeah, the key question everyone wants to know that follows MyTechCEO. Um, I got a lot of people ask me this, but yeah, essentially, like, my story is like I've been building startups, like I said, ever since I was young. Honestly, right now, you know, I'm actually still very much trying to kind of find my purpose, trying to find what to focus on. I've done the whole building technical startups, getting funding from, from reputable investors. I don't think that's what necessarily I'm best at. So I'm still trying to find my own path, what I think makes the most sense. I've do— I've been doing actually— I've done a couple of different things in tech. I went from building startups to then trying to run agencies. I think back in 2021, I was running a recruiting agency that was working with a lot of Web3 and early AI startups.

Yeah, yeah.

Scaled that, had a lot of people on the team, but eventually kind of, you know, wasn't really as excited about recruiting as I was, you know, going into it. And so I've been kind of working on a lot of— I'm—

You're molding yourself. It's hard to see what you really like.

Exactly. Exactly. Exploring different things. I love pursuing challenges, you know, seeing, you know, How much can I grow a business in X period of time? Trying to, trying to stay lean. So honestly, just exploring a lot of things and I have good cash flows from a lot of the agency stuff that I've done. And so that's kind of my life right now. And one of the things I'm really passionate about is creating content. I think, you know, I think there's a lot of it. It really excites me creating content. I think there's also some good traction. So I'm pursuing what I, what is what I feel fueled to do.

I think it's so engaging. I think your content, it sounds like you're— first of all, you and your brother are both brilliant marketers to be able to put that out. Not many people can get on camera, you know, to put yourself out there to get judged, right? It's worse for women, in my experience, than men. We could see it all over these blogs and so forth, in terms of the feedback that they get, the mean people. So obviously, you'll put out a video, some people will laugh, some people may say something nasty, etc. But you've got to, you got to have thick alligator skin, right? You got to brush that off and keep keep going in the direction. But that's cool that you're doing that. I do see this kind of really blowing up considering you both are in it. And I always told people, I said, when I've seen brothers together that have— and I've been an entrepreneur since like a long time, actually, years, years, years. And I've seen brothers that work together really build something incredible. And I hope you two stick together and build something incredible. I've also seen brothers that are either clashing like two magnets, and it just— they don't talk and so forth. It's awesome that you both are doing a similar thing in a different trajectory where you're not stepping on each other's toes, but you're in this niche. Let's talk about some of the most inspiring people in Silicon Valley. And did you also get inspired from any other shows aside from Silicon Valley to kind of mold your personality?

Yeah, I mean, I guess people that inspire me are people that have, I'm sure, have inspired a lot of other people as well. I mean, you know, even like, for example, like yesterday, I like listening again to Steve Jobs. This is definitely one of the people that has inspired me a lot. Like even his point about like how you can never know how certain things you've done in the past are going to connect to the future, like connecting the dots, you know, like He took a calligraphy class after he dropped out of college just for passion because he enjoyed it. And then that connected to helping him build the Macintosh, you know, a couple of years later. So I guess in terms of, yeah, there's a lot of, a lot of the greats I listen to. I love, I love consuming knowledge. I love reading. I'm always, I'm a voracious reader. I think that it's really important to read, you know, autobiographies as well as books that are written, especially nonfiction. And, um, yeah, I love— I consume like crazy.

So you're consuming, you're taking bits, as you said earlier in the podcast, from a lot of these different CEOs and, uh, people of higher position, and you're kind of molding it. When you prepare one of these funny videos, what's your mindset like? Are you like, hey, I have this idea, it's going to hit big? And sometimes are you surprised by something you may think is not going to hit big and then all of a sudden it blows up? I mean, AI is huge. That video's done quite well for you. Yeah. Um, what's your, what's your process like? Like, yeah, you got to get in the, in the zone to be funny, you know?

Totally. Yeah. I mean, it's like, is it's like first is coming up with a good idea and then it's coming up with a good script. Um, the idea kind of just comes to me or like someone, or I might have a conversation with someone and then I'm like, this is funny. And I get an idea. Um, you know, for example, like another one I did that another video that did really well was Open— when OpenAI goes down, how AI founders react to that video. And it's like basically just me freaking out, like pretending I'm an AI founder and OpenAI being down. That one just came to me. The idea came to me because like we were literally sitting in this at Founders Inc, this, this incredible like VC fund. We're sitting at Founders Inc and everyone was doing nothing because OpenAI was actually down. And I was like, this is a funny video. Like, this is a funny video. You can't do anything. It's like, what if we just like show a founder goes crazy and it gets mad? And so it kind of came to me and then there's other video ideas that come and I have to think about them. Are they going to be a good idea? I thought of, for example, a video idea like the other day and I was like, I thought it was really funny at first, but now I think it's too controversial. I had this idea. I was like, you know how Forbes 30 Under 30, everyone who's part of Forbes 30 Under 30, a large, a large majority of them end up doing some scam, like, like something illegal.

Oh my God. There's so many of those guys on Instagram that are, constantly like, I'm driving this Ferrari, I'm driving this Lamborghini, and then they're collecting money and then they're buying things, you know, not delivering on the promise. It's interesting how that turns. Uh, I think you should do some videos. Yeah, you know, I have a lot of ideas around that. I think you should totally do it. Yeah, I was watching— there's an account, Baller Busters. Have you ever seen that account? I might have seen them. Yeah, so they— what they do is they call out like these motivational speakers or these individuals that are like, hey, you need to like pump yourself up. You can't look at yourself in the mirror. You need money. You want money. You know, they're going crazy on this, this Instagram. People are watching it. And, and then of course, afterwards, they're like, they'll say something funny. Like, are you listening? Write this down this minute, this minute. You know, that's just like really funny. Because like, dude, you're like on your phone in in your bed, on the toilet, whatever. And you're like, this guy's yelling at you to do better in your life without knowing anything about you, who the viewer is. But for some reason, they catch on. And there's so many of those guys, you should check them out. It's kind of funny, because they are technically also in the tech space putting out content, but at the same time, they're always coming up and getting caught with something that ends up like taking people's money, but I always find it funny. So check out that account, Baller Buster.

Check it out.

Yeah. All right. Let's talk a little bit further on some of this content creation you're doing. I totally love that episode with OpenAI being down, kind of like what happens if ChatGPT is not around? How am I going to send my report? You know what I mean? I think that's funny. What's coming out or what video do you think is coming out next that you're going to be like, hey, this is going to be a hit? Is there one you want to give us a little preview? Yeah.

I mean, there's I have a lot of ideas around videos, even going back to the Forbes 30 Under 30 ideas. Like, I think something that would be hilarious— I haven't actually filmed this, but something that would be hilarious is like if I filmed the video in a prison cell and then I say, welcome to Forbes 30 Under 30. And then it's like, follow me, I'm going to introduce you to some of the people here. And it's like, we got Sam over there, built a crypto empire, ended up just using people's funds. We got Elizabeth Holmes.

You got me like, dude, dude, you got to do it. You got to go to Alcatraz, pay for the ticket.

Oh yeah, that's a good one.

And then you get the cell You know, that's a good idea, right? From there, that's gonna be a big hit. Yeah, I don't know.

Don't forget, my only concern is I have a lot of friends who are under Forbes Under 30, so I'm like, how are they going to feel when they watch that video?

Yeah, they're going to be like, hey, they're going to, you know, so that's a good question. So obviously you're, you're doing it, you're gaining all this traction with, with Silicon Valley, who are also your advertisers, right? Technically, at some point or another, they may become, um, How do you do it and not offend them? Like, where's that thin line of like, oh, I hope I don't cross it, you know what I mean? Like, totally. Where do I not— how do I stay away from, say, being obnoxious or offending someone greatly to putting out something funny? How do you deal with that?

Totally, that's a great question. And, and actually, like, starting off, a lot of my content, I noticed the comments were very negative because it was just like grabbing attention. It was like filming something discreetly, making it look realistic, and me just being outrageous, like going to the airport. And like, I think there was one, for example, that went pretty viral. It was like me at the airport and my— it was like the assistant hasn't— didn't book me a business class yet. What is going on? Like this. But, but essentially the answer is like doing smarter content that's more creative, that like is really trying to convey something. You know, if you watch an incredible movie or an incredible TV series, you don't think to yourself like, they were swearing in that, they were doing all these disrespectful things. If the director is really smart with how he portrays it, they're like, okay, this is comedy. This is smart. This is comedy.

It flows. It flows well without, without like going, oh, you know what I mean?

Exactly. Without necessarily offending someone. Cause it's, it's a masterpiece. It's an art. I think of content in a similar way. Like if I can create something that is really creative and it really hits well, and it isn't just like attention grabbing and me saying obnoxious stuff, and you can do that creatively. Like the OpenAI video, like it wasn't offending anyone. It was just showing a funny scenario of what happens when you build like a startup that's so dependent on, you know, something like OpenAI. And so that's how I think about it. Bring creativity to videos, try to make less obnoxious videos that are going to get views, bring more creativity. I might have gotten less views than I got in the past because I'm more focused on specific, trying to communicate specific insights. But it's going to— but I've noticed already, like the comments are way more positive. And I think this is going to open up the route to being able to do more interesting partnerships with companies.

For content creators and the haters out, you know, for content creators out there and dealing with the haters, I should say, how do you brush that off? Like, you've felt it, probably you've seen it in some of your comments. I don't know to which extent, but how do you move on? You know what I mean? Like, you, you have to brush it off somehow to keep creating a positive energetic Yeah. Energy-driven content.

Totally.

Tell me, tell me what's a tip out there for someone watching that's also in the content, but they're like, they're doing it every week.

Yeah.

And then they just keep getting slammed by some people. Yeah.

I mean, honestly, like, and it's funny because if you want negative comments, you should look at the European kid character because that one is, that is like obnoxious. And that is, you know, in your face people. There's a lot of hate comments on that.

Okay.

And I've talked to my brother a lot about it and he's like, Listen, like, if you're going to do anything great, like you're going to get a lot of people hating you, you know? So the way I take it is just like, this is part of the process. This is like, if you're going to do anything that's going to get attention, you're going to get hate. And I just, I now just, if you take, if you let that advice sink in, you should be able to just move on and not be like offended by a comment that says your hair looks like a curtain or, you know, whatever it is. I've gotten bad comments. I just laugh at them. I'm like, great.

That's so funny. What? It's good. So basically, you just say, hey, move on. If you're gonna do it, do it. Yeah. Don't worry about the haters. They're probably your biggest fans. And at that point, just do you, right? It's a simple concept. People will pick at everything. They'll try to always blow out your fire. It's incredible. But I could see why your brother would get even more of that. Because it's—

people think it's real too. People are really convinced that it's real. And Every single thing about it is real.

That's how good his storytelling is in acting.

Yeah, that's why he gets a lot of views too, because people are engaged.

They're like, who is this guy? Yeah, it's crazy. It's crazy. Do you talk to him often and shoot content ideas off each other, or what's the dynamic there? Does he call you up and say, hey, I have this crazy video, I'm going to tell a yacht owner that this is a small yacht, or what?

Yeah, I mean, we're twin brothers. We're very close. We talk all the time. Yeah, he'll talk. We'll talk sometimes to be like, I like that video you did. I'll give him advice on videos. We're constantly exchanging advice.

That's so cool.

Which is really good. And yeah, we're always on the same wavelength with content. The only time we ever get in a debate or in a heated argument is if I do something that is too similar to his character. For example, I did this one video where, for example, I was outside of like there's like this private jet I was outside of. And I said I did this video where I was complaining that the jet was too small.

Yeah.

He's like, that's kind of touching into my content.

I see.

I see. Like, keep it all the Tech CEO character.

So you're saying, hey, let's, let's, let's make sure we're a little bit separate. I gotcha. I gotcha.

But the European account, I, I have, you know, I literally have access to it on my phone. It's, it's an account I've posted videos in, in the past. So it is also very much a brand that I'm involved with as well. But I'm trying to separate myself more. Cause I think it's really cool to be able to build different accounts in different. Yeah. And then maybe a third character at some point too.

That'd be cool.

So there's a lot of opportunities.

I think the third character has to be, I'm telling you right now, I'm calling it. And when you build it, and you're so successful with it, which is very possible with you, I could see from your energy and the way you both, your brother and you, have built this platform, it has to be these motivational speakers. Yeah, because, because like, it's just so funny where they're like, I like that idea. So there's like, don't— you got bills to pay, don't worry about it, forget your bills. And it's like, dude, what the hell are you talking about? Like, you know, there you gotta see some of these guys, um, It's incredible. And they always have these weird hairstyles and trims, and some of them are like gold chain. Yeah, just check out Baller Busters.

I have to check it out. I have to definitely check it out. I love that idea though, because I, I've watched a lot of motivational speakers. Like, even growing up, I was like obsessed with Tony Robbins and stuff. So I— that, that way people— the way people like act and those motivational speakers, there's a lot to do around it.

It's— yeah, and it's fun. Well, Tony Robbins keeps it low-key, right? Tony Robbins is not shoving in a Lamborghini in your face. But what's happened is the sprawl of what Tony Robbins was doing with really trying to improve people's lives in some way. I, you know, Tony Robbins is, in my opinion, is a very great speaker. He's very motivational. Is he like an ultimate success? I don't know, because he's been married 5 times. We have a different, like, you know, mindset of that. So like, I don't know about his personal life. But what's happening is he's sprawled all these like, young, do this now entrepreneurs that you say end up somehow getting busted by the feds or doing some of these things. And it's like, whoa, right? By collecting people's money. And I do think that there's like a good character persona in there somewhere where you could make fun of this because they do have like, some of these guys have millions of followers. I don't know if they're bought or not or what happens, but they're like, they're shaming people. They're telling people like, do this, don't do that, write this down if you want to be a millionaire tomorrow. It's like, how can you be a millionaire tomorrow? You know what I mean? It's just, come on, you're barely paying your bills listening to this guy tell you that you're going to be a millionaire tomorrow. It's not realistic.